You would think that, here in 2018, the threat of bad actors and hackers online would make us work a bit harder at coming up with secure passwords. Yet somehow “123456” and “password” persist as popular choices. (And, no, we’re sadly not kidding about that!) Wouldn’t it be great if there was a desk toy that could somehow generate and store random, ultra-secure passwords?
Bringing such a dream to life is the goal of a new Kickstarter campaign for the so-called “Ultra Password Cube,” a password-creating Rubik’s Cube-like device that uses a combination of cutting-edge random number generator tech and user manipulation to create secure passwords. Best of all, because the device is non-electronic, it can’t be hacked online.
“We generate and apply a unique set of true random symbols to each ‘magic cube’ to create a device that, when purchased by the consumer, is highly likely to be almost completely different from any other device produced by our method,” Dr. Petrus Potgieter, one of the brains behind the project, told Digital Trends. “Because the user can then shuffle the device further through normal manipulation, introducing a vast amount of further randomness, it becomes easy to have a source of true random passwords at home or in the office. This contrasts with electronic random password generators that are subject to spyware and other forms of online snooping.”
The creators also provide instructions for how to read your passwords off the device while it sits on your desk, so you don’t have to write them down to remember them. Of course, this only works until you further twist the cube. Fortunately, because of the number of characters on each side, you should be able to generate multiple passwords without having to continually manipulate the device.
Potgieter describes the product as fun to use (well, fun compared to other ways of coming up with new passwords, that is). But he said that it is certainly not a novelty item as much as something intended for serious use by security-conscious people and institutions. “Our device is more sophisticated than any hardware device that we have seen,” he continued. “The Ultra Password Cube is the ideal way to generate passwords that are virtually immune to online ‘dictionary’ attacks.”
As ever, we offer our usual warnings about the risks associated with crowdfunding campaigns. However, if you’d still like to get your hands on an Ultra Password Cube, you can pledge your support — and cold, hard cash — over on the project’s Kickstarter page. A handmade cube will set you back $60. (Somewhat randomly, there are a host of animal photography-themed rewards available, too.) Shipping is set to take place in December.
