July 14th 2022
By Matthew Phillips
Could it be the beginning of the end for passwords?
Creating them is a hassle. Remembering them is a hassle. Typing them in repeatedly is a hassle. Your whole mood can change when you suddenly log out of an application you’re using, and you have to sign in again.
Now, here’s some good news from Microsoft, Apple, and Google: passwords are being eradicated by tech giants… for good!
Over the coming year, they plan to roll out ‘no-password logins’ across all of their platforms using a standard set by the FIDO (Fast Identification Online) Alliance. In this way, password-less authentication is set as a worldwide standard.
There’s no doubt that’s a mouthful… so we’ll call it a ‘passkey’.
You would use a passkey a lot like multi-factor authentication (where you use a separate device to prove you are who you say you are), but it requires less effort to use.
It’s very simple. To login to something, you’ll use your phone to prove it’s really you. Bluetooth only works a short distance, so many phishing scams should be stopped by this measure. Then it’ll send a verification message to your phone. You’ll unlock your phone in the usual way, with your face, fingerprint, or PIN. That’s all there is to it. You’re logged in.
Passkeys rely on something called public key cryptography. When you register with an application or website, a key pair is made between the website and your phone. You won’t need to think about this key. You’ll never see it and you certainly don’t have to remember the numbers that create the key. Your phone will verify the pair when you unlock it like you would do normally.
You may be thinking, “worst case scenario I lose my phone”. You won’t need to worry about having your passkeys accessed. It’s not enough for someone to just have your device, someone has to be able to unlock it as well.
Perhaps your best-case scenario, you purchase a new phone! With the cloud storing your passkeys, you can transfer them easily when you change devices. We’ve seen this before with how easy it is to set up a new phone to be just like your old one.
If this hasn’t convinced you how much better passkeys will be than the frustrating password, these passkeys are not only simpler for you but keep your data safer.
So what are your thoughts? Are you excited to say goodbye to traditional passwords? Drop us an email to let us know.