Credit Cards Take a Swipe at Identity Theft

Hello, Mission Impossible: Credit cards may soon feature tiny LCD screens that display a temporary password at the push of a button. The password, valid for only 30 seconds, is meant to deter online fraud and identity theft.

VeriSign, Inc., which designed the cards, promises to roll them out this year, according to Computer Business Review. The company says the cards will be able to produce new passwords until their batteries die. . . after which, they may self-destruct. (More VeriSign stories.)