Aetna replacing security passwords with machine learning tools

Aetna has launched a new security system for its consumer mobile and web apps that, in something of a twist, makes passwords optional. Instead of a password or fingerprint being the only barrier to entry, Aetna's new behavior-based security system monitors user devices and how and where a consumer uses that machine. Consumers can add biometric protection available on their devices. "Passwords are a mainstay of conventional online authentication and are considered to be a binary control - if a consumer has the user ID and password, they are enabled to use the application," said Jim Routh, chief security officer at Aetna. "Binary authentication controls work well when the assumption is that only the consumer has the password and remembers it. That assumption, however, is no longer valid."