Tech giants Google, Apple, and Microsoft have recently announced that they are looking to go password-free when logging into their platforms. These are namely Android and Chrome for Google; iOS, macOS, and Safari for Apple. The announcement was made in celebration of World Password Day.
The companies are part of the FIDO Alliance, a consortium with the aim to develop open source authentication standards and address password and phishing problems. If you’re curious, FIDO is short for fast identity online.
The companies already support the FIDO Alliance standards and FIDO2 certification to allow passwordless sign-in on devices. Some of these include Microsoft Hello and fingerprint and facial recognition on Android and Apple.
The companies look to use your phone that will store a FIDO credential called a passkey used to unlock your online account. The passkey is based on public key cryptography and is only shown to your online account when you unlock your phone.
Moreover, if you lose your phone, the passkeys are stored in the cloud and will then sync to your new phone.
“Today, in honor of World Password Day, we’re announcing a major milestone in this journey: We plan to implement passwordless support for FIDO Sign-in standards in Android & Chrome. Apple and Microsoft have also announced that they will offer support for their platforms,” Google said in its statement.
“Working with the industry to establish new, more secure sign-in methods that offer better protection and eliminate the vulnerabilities of passwords is central to our commitment to building products that offer maximum security and a transparent user experience — all with the goal of keeping users’ personal information safe,” Kurt Knight, Apple’s Senior Director of Platform Product Marketing said in a statement.
“We enthusiastically encourage website owners and app developers to join Microsoft, Apple, Google, and the FIDO Alliance to support passkeys and help realize our vision of a truly passwordless world,” said Microsoft.
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Ram found his love and appreciation for writing in 2015 having started in the gaming and esports sphere for GG Network. He would then transition to focus more on the world of tech which has also began his journey into learning more about this world. That said though, he still has the mentality of "as long as it works" for his personal gadgets.
