Hushmesh Inc., a public benefit corporation that is building an authentication trust network “Mesh” aimed at tackling identity fraud and data breaches, is demonstrating its new product at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week.

The Hushmesh Mesh is designed to enable digital interactions between people and organizations without targeting a specific application or mode of communication. Designed to be a neutral platform, the company’s Mesh enables digital trust and privacy as a service for applications, websites, services and devices.

The mesh uses a secure internet of things device called the “Trustee” to automate end-to-end cryptography for its owner. Using Microsoft’s Azure Sphere IoT platform to ensure the security and trustworthiness of each Trustee, the device itself has been designed to be easy to use.

Users plug in the Trustee at home, connects it to their Wi-Fi network and links it to their phone. After the initial setup, users can “mesh in” to any participating service from anywhere in the world, with their phone directing the Trustee to secure connections and transactions.

Instead of prompting for a username and password, a participating service will show a “meshtag,” a dynamic QR code, the company said. Users snap it with their phone, the phone sends it to their Trustee at home, and the Trustee does the rest.

The service does rely on businesses, sites and applications to support the Mesh and Trustee system. Hushmesh itself connects all Trustees to create a globally decentralized trust network, in this case the Mesh itself

“Usernames and passwords may have worked when they were invented back in the 1960s, but they have become a complete nightmare on the internet,” said Hushmesh founder and Chief Executive Officer Manu Fontaine. “Bolted-on security such as multifactor authentication only adds friction to an already painful process. Biometrics may be convenient but come with serious privacy issues.”

It’s certainly an interesting take on decentralized logins, which have been explored before. Along with getting companies to signup to support the Mesh and Trustee login system, the other hurdle for the company is that a physical device is required by users, currently being offered at $50 each on pre-order.

The potential is possibly there if it works as advertised, but initially, at least, the appeal may be more to enterprises looking for more secure alternatives to two-factor authentication and token-based login services. Pilot trials with partner organizations are expected in the first half of this year, with commercial availability in the second half.

Photo: Hushmesh