Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

I'm kind of wary of the ASP. It feels very backdoorish. And by the very nature of ASP, it is meant to be saved/stored on the computer system.


Me too. It seems to me that since ASP allows me POP/IMAP access to a gmail account, it probably gives me enough access to run the "send a password reset" attack. I can't use that to 0wn the two-factor protected google account, but I can easily use it to 0wn the AppleID/Anazon/eBay/PayPal account using the gmail account for the recovery address…

Off the top of my head, I don't even know if it's possible to ensure my iPhone or GalaxySII is using SSL/TLS for it's POP/IMAP connections (or if an attacker with brief access to my device could switch it to plain-text-passwords then sniff it's authentication on the local wifi).


Gmail supports restricting POP/IMAP access to specific labels. Couldn't you set up filters to move password reset emails/all emails from services you care about out to non-POP/IMAP folders, skipping the inbox.

A kludge, sure, but a possibility.


Then we should probably move towards (something like) OAuth in all our apps, be it web, desktop or mobile. This way a potential evildoer is left only with a very limited token. Even more, we can invalidate tokens based on time and device used.


Having OAuth or Two factor in Google Talk/Chrome or any application based login system shouldn't be THAT hard. Along with your password, there should be another text field stating "OTP" or some other friendly name.




Consider applying for YC's Fall 2026 batch! Applications are open till July 27.

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: