If you’re not afraid of someone getting a hold of your personal financial information on the Internet, you should be. Cyber-criminals are everywhere: Starbucks, the library, next door, on the other side of the world, right behind you! Seriously though, if you’re saving all your bank account and credit card login information to your browser or typing them in manually, you’re a prime target for prying eyes. GuardID’s ID Vault solves the problem by offering virtually hacker-proof security for your passwords on a portable USB key and giving you just one strong password to remember.
The device, released earlier this year, is a USB security token with an embedded smart card chip that meets the security requirements of federal banking regulators for two-factor authentication for online banking sites. To access your accounts online, select the site you want to go to, type in the PIN you’ve set and ID Vault securely signs you in, bypassing the site’s login screen and sending you to your account information immediately. Sadly, it doesn’t work with Mac OSs, just Windows XP and only with Internet Explorer.
However, with a cost of $49.95, it’s totally cheaper than rebuilding your credit after that guy standing behind you empties your checking account and takes out 37 credit cards in your name. Seriously, he’s right behind you.