The Secret to a Password-Free Zone

 The Secret to a Password-Free Zone

According to a recent survey, an individual manages approximately 100 passwords on average across various applications and websites.

Elon Musk's response to a journalist's question regarding his baby's unusual name, X A-12, was, "Sounds like a password. The businessman wouldn't have any trouble remembering that string of characters, while the rest of us struggle to get around the annoying world of p@55wRd$. 

According to a recent survey, a person typically manages close to 100 passwords for various services and websites. The fact that they cause over 80% of data breaches and have a reuse rate of 51% is therefore not surprising. The days of having to remember passwords, however, are now a thing of the past thanks to recent technological advancements.

Passkeys are a much-needed alternative, even though the idea is not new because they function similarly to scanning QR codes or using biometric capabilities to unlock phones. This authentication method uses cryptographic keys, which include a private key kept on a device like a computer or smartphone and a public key registered with the online service or app. Similar to two-factor authentication, you get a push notification on your phone when you log into a site that supports passkey. The strategy reduces the risk of unauthorized access by using Bluetooth rather than Wi-Fi. The problem of synchronizing passwords across devices is also eliminated by passkeys. If you generally use a smartphone to log into your Google account but wish to use a laptop, it's smooth as long as the smartphone is within Bluetooth range of the laptop and you allow the login.  

Currently, using a password coupled with a username is a more secure approach of signing into an account. 

an additional layer of authentication, such as an OTP, a security key, or an app. These conditions can be completed by a passkey in a single action without sending your biometric data to the website or app you are accessing. Additionally, each passkey is associated with a certain site, so it can only be used on that site. Additionally, it acts as a strong deterrent to phishing and social engineering assaults, making sure that you never divulge your login information to websites you don't trust.

Additionally, Apple debuted the technology the previous year with the release of iOS 16. The iCloud Keychain password management solution is used throughout the ecosystem of the tech giant to back up and synchronize passkeys across all Apple devices. This implies that you can generate a passkey on your phone and use it to sign in on other gadgets like an iPad or a Macbook.

For secure logins, it is also utilized by Google, Microsoft, and numerous more businesses. For instance, Google allows passkeys on all Google accounts, including Gmail and Drive, as well as on Android devices and the Chrome browser. It is integrated by Microsoft using Windows Hello. Others have also embraced this technology, including Amazon Web Services, Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, and many more.

What then is required to use passkeys? These conditions must be met:

A computer running at least Windows 10 or one of ChromeOS 109, MacOS, or Ventura.

A smartphone or tablet that runs iOS 16, iPadOS 16, or Android 9 at the very least

Hardware security key with FIDO2 protocol functionality is optional.

Your device's supported browser, such as Chrome 109 or higher, Safari 16 or higher, or Edge 109 or higher