In a significant leap towards a passwordless digital landscape, numerous popular apps and services have adopted the revolutionary passkey feature, initially introduced by Apple in 2022. The support for this ground-breaking security measure is expanding at an impressive rate, leading tech giants like Best Buy, eBay, and Google to integrate passkeys into their platforms.
The Rise of Passkeys: What Are They?
A collaborative initiative by Apple, Google, Microsoft, the FIDO Alliance, and the World Wide Web Consortium has given rise to passkeys—a cryptographic key that eliminates the need for usernames and passwords during login. The technology works by directly associating a cryptographic key with a specific device, thereby confirming the user’s identity securely.
The key consists of a public-private pair, where the private information remains securely stored on the device. The public component is what gets registered with the respective app or service. The secure element on the device must be authenticated using biometric security features like Touch ID or Face ID on supported devices.
How to Use Passkeys
Starting with iOS 16 and macOS Ventura, Apple users can benefit from this security measure. The feature also comes with built-in multi-factor authentication, eradicating the need for users to go through multiple steps of identity verification.
The Security Edge: End-to-End Encryption and More
Once set up, passkeys offer end-to-end encryption. Furthermore, they’re compatible across all Apple devices linked with iCloud Keychain, and also work with non-Apple hardware, providing a seamless and secure user experience.
The Growing List of Passkey Adopters
The adoption rate of passkeys has been robust and is expected to keep growing. As of September 6, 2023, the following major platforms have integrated the passkey feature:
- Apple
- Best Buy
- eBay
- Dashlane
- GoDaddy
- Kayak
- Nvidia
- PayPal
- WordPress
- Adobe
- DocuSign
- GitHub
- Home Depot
- Instacart
- Microsoft
- Robinhood
- Shop Pay
- Shopify
- TikTok
Looking Towards a Passwordless Future
The growing adoption of passkeys indicates an industry trend towards better security and user convenience. However, for passkeys to become the norm, a more extensive roll-out across various platforms, services, and apps is necessary.
Today’s update shows the momentum is indeed moving in the right direction, putting us one step closer to a future where the inconvenience and risks of passwords could be a thing of the past.
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