Episode 154: John McAfee backs authentication key

EveryKey, a device for control access, zoomed to 676 percent of its crowd funding target on IndieGogo in January. The product is being promoted by “EveryKey chief evangelist” John McAfee, the same guy who founded a wildly successful anti-virus company and is now running for U.S. president as a Libertarian Party candidate. “EveryKey was created by a gentleman named Chris Wentz,” McAfee says. “Chris actually contacted me after the product had been developed. I said ‘that’s the greatest thing since sliced bread. How can I buy one?’”

Instead of buying one, McAfee’s company Future Tense Central took part ownership in EveryKey. The product, a fob about the size of a USB flash drive, is designed to replace keys and passwords. It works using Bluetooth 4.0 and AES 128-bit encryption. The user’s passwords are not stored on any product or server. The Everykey fob broadcasts encrypted information to identify itself, and only synced devices are able to decrypt it.

“You run an application on your smart devices, and the EveryKey device connects with it, takes your passwords, stores them,” McAfee says. “When you walk away from that device, as long as you have the EveryKey fob on your key chain, that device locks down.”

A lost or stolen EveryKey can be quickly shut down with a call to the company. Optional accessories include a key chain and wearable band. EveryKey is compatible with Mac OS, Windows, Android, Ubuntu (Linux), and iOS (Jailbreak). Available web browsers include Google Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Safari.

John McAfee spoke with Regarding ID’s Gina Jordan about the product – which he calls “a game changer.”