During the WWDC 2022 keynote, Apple yesterday announced a new feature, Passkeys, to replace passwords.
The feature offers users to manage their accounts through biometric authentication. In practice, Face ID and Touch ID will automatically fill in login information to access applications, websites and programs on iPhone, iPad, MacBook or iMac.
unbreakable
The interest of “Passkeys” is to better protect user accounts. In particular against phishing attempts or unauthorized access. Indeed, Passkeys are encrypted, and cannot, unlike passwords, be cracked with special software or easily guessed with some personal information.
Apple also clarifies that they cannot be phished or leaked, since they never leave the device on which they were created. Thus, a cyberattacker will not be able to recover your Passkeys by deceiving you with a fake login portal, or by means of a remote server.
Passkeys everywhere
Apple also plans to make its Passkeys work on Android, Linux, and Windows platforms. The goal is to allow iPhone or iPad users, for example, to log into their accounts even on devices that don’t have iOS or macOS. And thus to make easier, faster and safer services such as making a medical appointment online or paying for groceries online.
But be careful, don’t throw away your post-its yet, and don’t unsubscribe from your password manager right away! Indeed, it will take some time for developers to integrate the functionality into their websites, applications and software. But once that’s done, you’ll be able to use your Passkey on all your devices and accounts.
You will then need to use each device at least once to access your accounts when setting up your Passkey. Once setup and onboarding is complete, your Passkey will allow you to seamlessly switch between devices, even on public terminals, as support for the feature becomes more widespread.
Source: ZDNet.com