Lost keys to success

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A few weeks ago, I lost my keys. I have never lost keys before and it is a bit of a worry, especially how often we I remind people to protect theirs, as key security is an important matter.

Thankfully, it was only the key to my house.

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However, getting a new key has been far more of a challenge than I had thought it would be. We have a new door, installed at the same time we changed the windows and while the lock is from the same company and the keys look the same, the process to get a new one cut is quite different.

Normally, it is a trip to a key cutter, which can be found at pretty much every shopping center, as they are cobblers, not locksmiths - meaning they do add things like fix the soles of shoes also. The key take a minute or two to cut and costs 10-20 euros, depending on the type of key.

With the key I have though, there is an owner card involved and when I went there, they said they are not allowed to cut that kind of key, even though they can. It has to be an authorized dealer that can log the registration and there are only two in town.

A few weeks ago, I went to one of these places there with the card, but no key, as my wife has the only other copy. They can't order the key from the factory with the card only, they need the key, even though they have the registration of it. This is quite strange, because if I have lost the key, how do I get a new one cut if the card is not enough? What is the point of the card, if I need the key anyway?

Because they close at four and my wife often needs her key, I haven't been able to get back there until this morning, where they took the details of the card and then put the key into a little lock and turned it, which showed a mechanical number, which I assume was to make sure that the key and card match.

There seems to be some redundant and unnecessary processes.

Now, since they know exactly who owns the key and lock anyway since it is registered, all of this would be possible to do online with a form and an ID verification, which is common in Finland using a bank authentication app, something pretty much everyone already uses, even the elderly. This is actually already done with some other keys, but for some reason, this key, part of their newer range, doesn't have this option. I find it strange.

Of course, in crypto, key security is very important, because as we know, not your keys, not your crypto. this is why most people will leave the majority of what they hold off exchanges as exchanges and in hard wallets, like a Trezor or Ledger.

However, part of the problem with crypto is that most people are not in the habit of looking after their own property, especially in the digital world. Most of us are accustomed to being able to recover a lost password with a "forgot password" email and are used to being able to login and verify through a social media gateway. For many, even authenticator apps for (two-factor authentication (2FA) are foreign territory, although are growing in popularity as they spread through business domains.

Like me not wanting to spend my time organizing a simple key to be cut, convenience is something that people look for in their user experience. If something is too difficult to understand, they will move on fast, even if they know they will benefit on the other side. End users are lazy and with so many options out there, they can pick and choose what they use and how they spend their time.

I think that this simplification is something that all crypto projects have to work on, as there is a high tendency to favor technical complication over the user experience, whilst still wanting mass adoption. This of course also has to factor in the security of assets as often, there is a tradeoff of some kind somewhere, as simplification often means some level of centralization of management processes.

On Hive, the layer two is where the simplification can be accomplished, where an application can be built that is easy to use, but the core security of the account and assets is on the infrastructure layer. But, still further simplification is required, even though there are add-ons like keychain available. A new user to Hive likely doesn't know about Keychain, Peaklock or Hivesigner at all and once they do, there is a bit of a rabbit hole to find out what does what and of course, who you can trust. How does the average end user know that Keychain is safe to use with their keys, after essentially being told they have to protect them with their life?

I am not sure if one exists, but I think there is likely a usecase for a decentralized authenticator application, that can be leveraged by many blockchains and experiences, bringing some kind of uniform processes into the industry, simplifying logins, while improving the security of keys themselves. It seems a little silly that while trying to break away from centralization, exchanges like Binance use Google Authenticator to verify entry, rather than an industry wide solution that offers the same simplicity as well as versatility.

With a quick search, I found this from Microsoft on "owning identity" using the Azure blockchain, but knowing what you know, would you trust it an, once it is integrated "seamlessly" into our digital lives, could there be unwanted surprises? In my opinion, it would be much more advantageous for the decentralized community to build products and services that are housed on decentralized networks, already owned by a decentralized community, like on Hive. However, building it isn't enough, it needs to be supported by the community too - not just on Hive, but across the entire crypto marketplace. While I haven't used it, Civic supposedly has an authentication process, but I haven't seen it anywhere I have visited - Anyone tried?

I get the sense that those in crypto are taking for granted and underestimating the reach that companies like Google and Microsoft can have into blockchain and crypto. They already have skills and resources, plus what are essentially captured audiences which are far more likely to choose convenience over their own security, even if it is going to cost them more later. Enduser experience is key to mass adoption and if we do not do it ourselves, someone else will.

At the end of the day, as an industry looking to break away from the current paradigm and improve it, we have to be able to provide the key factors of success ourselves. Speed, security and scalability are keys, but so too is user experience.

Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]

Posted with STEMGeeks



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26 comments
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Do not lose keys on hive blockchain.

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Thanks for the advice. I will try not to.

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Ohhhhh I know that can be a pain! I once lost the car key , and getting a new one has been a pain and an expensive task

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(Edited)

This ended up being 40 euros a key plus delivery.
What I am a little worried about is on that ring, I also had access to a client company gate - but there were no identifiers on the ring - it is invalid now of course anyway.

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I hate losing my keys. Thank goodness you fixed your situation.

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This was actually the first time I have lost mine. Super annoying. I still have a sneaking suspicion that they will turn up.

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since you mentioned keys. How do I change my hive passwords? When I click on the corner it only says ,, change account password '' which password is that and how do I change posting, active and so on?

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You have to use your master, it then will give you the new set of other keys, which you if course save away.

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(Edited)

My heart went in my throat when I read your title, I assumed the worst, meaning crypto keys, I'm glad it was just your house keys.

A “decentralized authenticator application” is a good idea. Make things simpler, yet more secure.

I struggle between attaching assets to a key that I own but I could lose; and attaching assets to my identity which I own but I have to trust that the "custodian" does not lose to somebody else or locks me out.

As I get older, and I start to forget things, I'm hoping there's a solution to where I can have the best of both worlds. If I lose my keys I can recover them with my identity without the other party or app having access to those keys. I think safe deposit boxes work from that concept, but it can be physically inaccessible. Maybe a biometric safe in one's house or 24/7 accessible secure location.

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I would be pretty annoyed to lose keys that matter :)

There are always security holes if one kind or another, but having a few options allows for people to choose what they are willing to risk. The problem is, most people don't understand enough to evaluate the risks well, especially if they are used to having a platform look after everything for them.

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I once put my car keys on the roof of the car and forgot them. When I checked in the evening whether all my keys were there, I searched feverishly. Actually, I could have remembered in my mind what I had done, but because of the panic I just looked everywhere. And then I was glad that the car key was still on the roof. Since then, every time I've used the key, I force myself to see where it is and to do so immediately. If I see that someone has lost something, I leave it in place because that's where the owner would expect it the most. Once I saw that the neighbour had left her key outside. Then I rang the bell. Because then you always have to imagine that someone could break into the house. Trying to always remember, I think, is a good thing.

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Since then, every time I've used the key, I force myself to see where it is and to do so immediately.

This is a good lesson - pain helps remind us. Someone who has lost money out of their pocket, always remember the even whenever they put more in.
This is the first time I have lost my keys and I still think they will turn up somewhere. We have a lot of stuff around at the moment in the house, so it could be anywhere, Unless it slid out of my jacket pocket while getting in the car somewhere....

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It was a big drama to deal with this company for a door and the key in question! I really don't see any sense in their requirements for making a new key.
I understand that you live in Finland! Great country you have a remarkable and unique nature. I was lucky to learn a lot to her, some time ago I knew a company bitclubnetwork, which as far as I know has installations located there.
As for security ..yes it is very important that everyone has full control over their own accounts.
But at the moment it is still quite difficult for many people to completely dominate this new world of technology, as well as for me ...😀

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Finland is a pretty nice place, albeit cold at times - like now :)

But at the moment it is still quite difficult for many people to completely dominate this new world of technology, as well as for me ..

It takes a fair bit of effort to get the head around, but it is worth spending the time to learn what is going on, considering it is the way of the future and a headstart makes a difference.

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Time will tell if everything will happen. How it will affect people.
I think it takes 50-100 years.

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I can sometimes be impatient, if after visiting one locksmith then having to go to one of only two in town and being told, no the card is not enough, me I would have told them in a lot of words that they just lost a potential lifetime customer and I would tell them I'll be going to the local hardware store to buy a competitors lock and key. Most of the time I am patient enough, but run-around for no reason, no thanks. Even though I am sure a new lock would have cost more, I may have found a better more friendly company to work with in the future.

There are a lot of different sets of keys in the internet realm and other means of identity verification. In 16 years things will change, will a key you have today for an infrequent usage still be remembered or viable in sixteen years? For me the answer was no, even though I have the disk, and the disk key code, since I registered it on steam with a different steam name and different email and had not accessed the game it 14 years likely, it is no longer playable.

I have gone through a lot of computers in that 16 years, and a lot of e-mail address, and a few various notebooks, (the paper kind). With moving several times during that 16 years, things get lost, misplaced or tossed out. I don't even remember what my very first internet e-mail address was.

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I would tell them I'll be going to the local hardware store to buy a competitors lock and key.

hahaha - I said this the first time I went ni there. It is of course not their fault as an onseller/servicer, but I made it clear that this is ridiculous.

I think this is something that the digital world has to work out, the protocols can't keep changing as people age, people can't keep up with the learning, it is too hard to keep chasing the latest. All of the photos that people take these days---- must will end up deleted at some point, on purpose, hardware failure or just lost.

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Basically, we are still of the stage of the car key authentication. Why do we have the keys and no true decentralized authentication process to protect them properly. It seems only logical that a feature like that would be added to this space. Also, whoever does it first and well would capitalize on the entirety of the market or at least spark some rivalry on the idea of making authentication systems to protect keys for different Dapps. I hope it gets to that point. It would be better than needing the card and the key for getting a new key.

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A couple of solutions would be really nice and I would love it if Hive was able to spawn one that could be adopted on all kinds of applications and sites. I think that one of the benefits of free transactions is that there can be a lot of "no value" activity that is valuable. :)

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I think that one of the benefits of free transactions is that there can be a lot of "no value" activity that is valuable. :)

I agree.

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I summarised the key saga for JJ and then we both spent a couple of minutes trying to figure that one out XD

You got that all sorted out in the end right?

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Well, I still have to go back into the same place to pick up the keys - as they won't mail them home (which would actually be to the post office) as it is apparently not safe enough. Funny, considering I get my passport mailed through there too, as well as credit cards and all kinds of other things :D

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Well, they're right, it's probably not safe enough.

But...like you said...everything else comes through the mail XD

Maybe they don't want to pay for registered post/courier.

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