BlackBerry CTO Charles Eagan says no security passwords is the dream.
This may sound strange coming from a technologist whose company has invested billions in security and recently opened a new lab and business unit focused solely on research and development in the cybersecurity space.
But he makes a compelling argument.
“Passwords are painful and not that effective, and multi-factor authentication just makes it more complicated to compromise,” Eagan told SDxCentral. “People do things to avoid having to remember passwords, or they take shortcuts. Our real vision is: we want more security with less friction. We would love it if you never had to use a password, and you had more security at the same time.”
And, he adds, BlackBerry has technology to make this a reality. “We have insight into your mobile, your desktop, and, potentially, your automobile. So we can build a multi-point perspective because we will know generally where you are and what you do. We can give you frictionless service and access to your information without any risk to security. More security with less friction is the dream.”
After it stopped making mobile phones in 2016, BlackBerry started moving into the enterprise software market with a focus on security. It also opened an autonomous vehicle innovation center at its headquarters in Ottawa, Ontario.
Two years ago, CEO John Chen created the office of the CTO at BlackBerry and appointed Eagan to the post. “My role as CTO … also involved doing technology due diligence on cybersecurity companies,” Eagan said. “I got to investigate Cylance long before the acquisition.”
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