Experimental Security Evaluation of the Tillitis TKey Authentication Ecosystem

Abstract

In this project, a structured security evaluation of TKey-based authentication systems was conducted using an ethical hacking methodology, consisting of reconnaissance, scanning, vulnerability assessment, exploitation, and exploit testing. The results showed that while TKey mitigates several weaknesses of password-based systems, insecure software implementations can still introduce serious vulnerabilities, such as insecure communication, information disclosure, and flaws in authentication logic. Overall, the study demonstrated that security depends not only on the technology itself but also on its design and implementation, highlighting the need for continuous security evaluation across all system layers.