In May we heard there would soon be a successor to the password – the Passkey.

Now, we are hearing that Apple will start rolling out Passkeys in the next few months in iOS 16 and we cannot wait!

It has caused a bit of confusion though – Apple is going to great lengths to market the Passkey, and, understandably, people have assumed that it is a feature exclusive to Apple. This is not the case. Passkeys will be used in a joint effort to boost online security by Apple, Microsoft and Google. Apple is promoting this new feature so hard to get the message out there. Microsoft and Google are also keen to spread the word to help people understand how passkeys work. The more people take advantage of Passkeys, the safer our businesses are online.

Passkeys – otherwise known as FIDO authentication – work by letting you log into an app or website with just your username and your pre-authenticated device. This will most likely be your phone.  Your device generates a cryptographic token, which makes the second part of a cryptographic key pair. When the pair matches, you’re allowed access to the app or website.

What that really means in practice is, when you are logging in, you just use your phone to prove that it is really you. You will unlock your phone however you would normally such as using face ID, your fingerprint or PIN. As long as your phone is within Bluetooth range of your computer it will work.

It is a far easier way to access apps and keep your accounts safe from cybercriminals. You never see your cryptographic token, so it takes a lot of the danger of having your log in credentials stolen.

Cyber criminals will be unable to use their normal tactics such as phishing emails and key loggers to steal your credentials. They will need access to your physical devices, making remote access hacking far less likely.

If you use Windows Hello, you will see that Passkeys are already supported and it won’t be long before all three tech giants roll out support across their entire product range.

Who else is excited?

Published with permission from Your Tech Updates.