We know that no-one likes passwords. Creating them, remembering them, having to type them in all the time, making sure you include all the special characters. It’s frustrating. Your whole mood can change when you are suddenly logged out and you have to go through the log in process all over again.

This might cheer you up though. Microsoft, Apple, and Google have joined forces to kill off the password 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. This sets the worldwide standards for passwordless authentication. That is a bit of a mouthful, so some people call this the passkey.

A passkey works in a similar way to multi-factor authentication (where you use a separate device to prove it is you) but with less effort required. It’s very simple but effective. To log in to something you will use your phone to prove that it is really you and your computer will use Bluetooth to verify that you are sat nearby. Because Bluetooth only works at a short distance this should stop many phishing scams.

It will then send a verification to your phone, and you will unlock your phone in the normal way and just like that you are 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. These are long numbers that are connected in some way, but don’t worry you will never have to see them or remember them. Your phone verifies the pair when you unlock it. You also do not have to worry about what happens if you lose your device as it is not enough for someone to have it they have to be close enough and able to unlock it as well.

Your passkeys will also be backed up to the cloud, so, if you get a new device, you can simply transfer your information over in the same way you can easily set up a new phone to be like your old device.

These passkeys are not only simpler for you but should also keep your data safer. There is no password for cybercriminals to steal and your phone needs to be close to your computer to login. It isn’t fool proof, nothing is, but it is a lot better than passwords and MFA.

What are your thoughts on this one? Are you sick of passwords?

Published with permission from Your Tech Updates.