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Don’t get fobbed off – use a PayPal security key

When it comes to phishing targets, your PayPal details rank right up there with your debit card and PIN number.Until now all we’ve had is our ke

When it comes to phishing targets, your PayPal details rank right up there with your debit card and PIN number.Until now all we’ve had is our keen wits and sheer luck to defend us from such cunning criminals but PayPal’s finally come up with a failsafe.The PayPal Security Key works in the same way as many of the remote log-in keys road warriors use to access their work intranets and email. Every 30 seconds it comes up with a new six-digit password required by PayPal alongside your usual login credentials.Enter the details on a phisher’s mock page and the details you enter will be useless 30 seconds later when they try and use them to access your account.The only problem is you’ll always have to the keyfob handy whenever you log in. It’s only being trialled in America, Germany and Australia for the moment, but PayPal owner eBay assures us it will come here if everything goes to plan.

Paypal Security Key Price: £TBA ($5 in US) On sale: TBA (‘early 2007′ in US) Contact: PaypalRelated links: PayPal Security Key microsite Related stories: eBay bids high, buys Skype

Profile image of Dan Grabham Dan Grabham Editor-in-Chief

About

Dan is Editor-in-chief of Stuff, working across the magazine and the Stuff.tv website.  Our Editor-in-Chief is a regular at tech shows such as CES in Las Vegas, IFA in Berlin and Mobile World Congress in Barcelona as well as at other launches and events. He has been a CES Innovation Awards judge. Dan is completely platform agnostic and very at home using and writing about Windows, macOS, Android and iOS/iPadOS plus lots and lots of gadgets including audio and smart home gear, laptops and smartphones. He's also been interviewed and quoted in a wide variety of places including The Sun, BBC World Service, BBC News Online, BBC Radio 5Live, BBC Radio 4, Sky News Radio and BBC Local Radio.

Areas of expertise

Computing, mobile, audio, smart home