How to use Passkey instead of regular passwords and verification codes
Miscellaneous / / August 11, 2023
You no longer have to save long combinations of characters and wait for SMS.
What is Passkey
Passkey is a passwordless authorization technology. It allows you to use cryptographic keys to log into accounts and applications. The authentication process takes place in the usual way for many mobile device users. You can scan your fingerprint or face, connect sequences of dots according to a given pattern, or enter a PIN code.
Today, this technology has not yet spread everywhere. It is used by Apple, Microsoft, Google, PayPal, Nvidia, eBay and some other companies for their websites and applications. However, the popularity of access keys is gradually growing.
Google Adds Passkey Support to Chrome Browser for Windows Android and macOS in December 2022. Microsoft introduced such an authorization system even earlier for its services. This feature will soon appear in other applications on Android, iOS and Chrome OS.
How does Passkey work?
To access the account, you must generate a key using an authenticator. Passkey includes one private and one public key. The authenticator can be, for example, a smartphone and tablet. Alternatively, a web browser or
password managersupporting this technology.First, the authenticator requests a response in the form of biometric information, a dot pattern, or a PIN. Once entered, the system sends the public key to the web server with the account. This piece of data is used as the username or login. In this case, the second private key is stored only locally for security.
If a smartphone or other gadget acts as an authenticator, then the private key will be recorded in the data link on the device. When using a suitable password manager, the key will be stored in an encrypted vault.
How to use passkey
To create a new access key instead of the usual password, you need to log in to your account on the site or in the application with Passkey support, and then activate the corresponding setting in the section security. Next, the program or web service will offer to save the access key and associate it with your device. The web browser or operating system in this situation will ask you to confirm the request using biometric data. As a result, the access key will be written locally to the computer's memory.
The next time you log in to a website or app, you can use the access key from your device instead of your password. If your browser supports synchronizing keys between different devices, then access to them will work on all connected gadgets.
If you try to log into your account through a device that does not have an access key, the authorization system will offer to use another gadget. In the browser, when key synchronization is active, it will be possible to scan QR code to complete the authentication process.
Authorization technology also allows you to use Bluetooth to find a trusted device within an active range.
For example, to change how you sign in to Google, you need to sign in the traditional way by entering your username and password. Then select the "Create access key" function on the device.
After receiving the Passkey, authorization in the Google account can be confirmed using the gadget. All you have to do is unlock your device with your fingerprint, Face ID, or PIN, and then confirm sign in or change important settings. So you do not have to remember and constantly enter long passwords.
For a Google account, you can generate keys on all devices from which you are going to connect. For example, in addition to a smartphone, it is worth making Passkey on a laptop or computer.
Access keys can be transferred via cloud storage and Apple services. For example, if you create a key on an iPhone, it will be available on any other Apple device through your iCloud account. Passkey authorization can also be used in iPadOS and macOS.
It is not yet worth abandoning the usual authorization methods completely. If you lose the device with the saved key, or you don't have access to any of the synced gadgets, you'll have to use your username and password as a fallback method.
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