Amazon becomes the latest to ditch the passwords, following in the footsteps of Apple and Google. The three companies are joining forces to create a safer, password-less login. Passwords are set to be replaced with a new security system called FIDO (Fast Identity Online). Passwords for many people are becoming original and overused, leaving them wide open for hackers.
Many companies have already begun to step into the new world of password-free authentication. You will begin to notice companies introducing this instead of using your usual password. Using things like push notifications, email magic links, and SMS codes. All of these make logging into accounts much easier. But the idea behind passwordless verification is not just for convenience, but to keep your accounts and personal data safe.
I think the most important question here is, how does it work? So, instead of creating a password when you create a new account, two passkeys will be generated. One passkey is a secret, that is safely stored within your device. The other is the public passkey which is stored by the company. The passkeys will be different and specific for this account. Then every time you wish to access that account, the passkeys will pair.
Are passkeys safer than passwords?
There are quite a lot of benefits to passwordless identification. Firstly, to convenience the customer, that the password will never be forgotten. You will never have to go through the time-consuming task of resetting your password. For others, that use the same password for every account, you will now be a lot safer. Using the same password is very easy but leaves you vulnerable to hackers. Once one account has been compromised, your other accounts will be at risk. Passkeys can also never be stolen or copied because the passkey will never be written down, it is only stored safely within your device.
