Along with iOS 16 and macOS Ventura, Apple introduced its new technology ‘Passkeys’, known as toggle switches. It is said that this technology, which allows users to log in without entering a password, includes a new and more secure authentication mechanism. With this technology, login will be more secure than passwords and users will have an easier login.
Before using ‘Passkeys’, which are called passkeys, it is necessary to understand what it is and how it works. Let’s examine together what ‘Passkeys’ is.
Passkeys replaces your password with a digital key linked to your account.
Passkeys, aka FIDO authentication, was developed by Microsoft, Apple and Google in order to make history the need for users to write and remind passwords. First of all, to use this technology on your Apple devices, 2FA (Two-factor authentication) must be turned on in your iCloud. To put this technology in its simplest form, it replaces your current password with a digital key linked to your account. The digital key is encrypted end-to-end and stored in the device’s own systems.
According to Apple, Pass Keys can never leave the device and are only specific to the created site. In fact, Apple claims that phishing thefts are impossible for Passkeys.
There are two of the digital keys: one stored on your device and the other on the server.
Apple’s passkeys are based on the Web Authentication API developed by FIDO and the World Wide Web Consortium (WC3). When you generate a passkey, your system generates a pair of digital keys. One of these generated keys is stored on Apple servers, while the other secret key is stored only on your device. The server doesn’t learn what your private key is and keeps it private.
When you try to log in to your account with a passkey, the website or app’s server sends a request to your device to prove it’s logged in from your device. The private key stored on your device responds to this request and then this request is authenticated by the public key, as a result of which you are logged in.
Users who have a device belonging to another operating system besides their Apple device can also use Passkeys on their other devices.
Since Apple developed the passkeys on the FIDO standards, the passkeys can be used on other devices. In order to use it on other devices, it is sufficient to read the QR code created by other devices from the iPhone. The QR code contains a url with disposable encryption keys. Once scanned, the user’s device can communicate with the other device using an end-to-end encrypted network via Bluetooth.
Are passkeys aka FIDO better than passwords?
Simple passwords used in the internet world; It is among the biggest security problems of the web. Simple passwords expose users’ accounts to serious threats. Despite this being the case, these passwords still seem to be quite popular with users. “Every passkey is strong. They are never unpredictable, reusable, or weak.” says. Google said: “To truly solve password problems, we need to go completely beyond passwords, so we’ve been laying the groundwork for a password-free future for over a decade.” says.
Looking at all these explanations, we understand that this technology is more reliable. If Passkeys (FIDO) technology is successful and becomes widespread, we can say that it will replace passwords.
So what do you think about this subject? Would you like a password-free future?
Source: Indian Express, Wired, Technowize, Apple Developer, Google Blog
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