Google buys audio password firm

Google has confirmed it has bought another company as it steps up its acquisitions for the year.

SlickLogin, which is an Israeli start-up behind technology that allows websites to verify users' identity by using sound waves, is the latest firm to have been snapped up by Google.

This year has already been a busy one for the acquisitions team at Google, which has been busy buying up robotics companies ahead of a suspected move into this area.

SlickLogin has confirmed its acquisition by Google, but did not give any details regarding the finances of the agreement between the two companies. In a statement posted on its website, the firm said: "Today we're announcing that the SlickLogin team is joining Google, a company that shares our core beliefs that logging in should be easy instead of frustrating, and authentication should be effective without getting in the way."

It added: "Google was the first company to offer two-step verification to everyone, for free – and they're working on some great ideas that will make the internet safer for everyone."

Personalised logins

Sharat Sinha, a vice-president with Palo Alto Networks, which is a firm that specialises in enterprise security, told the BBC that the more personal a login system is, the less susceptible it is going to be to hacks.

"The problem with one-time pins is that if someone hacks into your account, they can change the mobile number associated with it," he said. Mr Sinha also stressed that companies need to find ways to protect users that are simple and straightforward.

Google's share price ended last week on a high by rising by 0.24 per cent on Friday (February 14th), although its stocks fell by 0.17 per cent in after-hours trading.

Last week, Google confirmed it has bought 618.3 million Lenovo shares priced at $1.21 each, representing a six per cent stake in the firm, which recently purchased handset-maker Motorola Mobility from Google.

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