If you're someone who juggles numerous passwords in your daily life, you're not alone. Despite the assistance of password managers, the increasing complexity of passwords has become a growing burden for most individuals.
Gone are the days of using easily guessable passwords like "p455w0rd123." Nowadays, every online account demands passwords that are both intricate and distinctive. Vigilance is essential, as any compromise of your passwords can have serious consequences.
Thankfully, a more efficient solution exists: Passkeys.
Passkeys represent an authentication method for websites and applications, first popularized by Apple in June 2022. While Apple introduced support for passkeys in iOS and MacOS, it's not exclusive to the company. This technology is a standard endorsed by major players such as Google, Apple, Microsoft, the World Wide Web Consortium, and the FIDO Alliance.
In practical terms, passkeys are cryptographic keys. Each passkey comprises a public key registered with the online service or app, and a private key stored on a device like a smartphone or computer. Although this may seem complex, passkeys are designed for user-friendliness. To log in with a passkey, you simply use your face, fingerprint, or a PIN, much like unlocking your smartphone. No passwords are involved, which means nothing to memorize or inadvertently disclose to potential hackers.
Passkeys also address the hassle of synchronizing passwords across your devices. Consider a scenario where you typically log into your Google account via a smartphone but wish to use a laptop. This is easily achievable, even if the passkey isn't synchronized with the laptop. As long as the smartphone is within Bluetooth range of the laptop and the user grants approval, the login proceeds without a hitch. What's even more impressive is that the passkey isn't transmitted between the two devices. Instead, after confirming the login, the user has the chance to create a passkey directly on the laptop.
Now, you might wonder if logging in with your fingerprint or face poses a security risk. The answer is no. No biometric data is transmitted to the website or app you're accessing. Instead, this information solely serves to unlock the passkey on your device. It never leaves the device.
To employ passkeys, you'll need:
- A system running at least Windows 10, MacOS Ventura, or ChromeOS 109
- A smartphone or tablet with at least iOS 16, iPadOS 16, or Android 9
- Optionally, a hardware security key with FIDO2 protocol support
Furthermore, the computer or mobile device you use must have a compatible browser like Chrome 109 or later, Safari 16 or later, or Edge 109 or later.
Major tech companies like Apple, Google, and Microsoft offer specific guidance on how to use passkeys on their respective platforms.
For a list of websites supporting passkeys, you can visit passkeys.io. Notable names like Adobe, Google, PayPal, TikTok, Nintendo, and GitHub are among those that have adopted this technology.
If you're not quite ready to fully embrace passkeys, you can experiment with them on passkeys.io's demo. It will walk you through the process of setting up a passkey and using it for logging into a site.
While passkeys represent a significant advancement, it's important to note that passwords aren't going away anytime soon. Passkeys, much like hardware security keys, provide an additional layer of security for accounts and online services that support the feature. Passwords and password managers will remain essential tools for the foreseeable future.