Apple, Google, And Microsoft Want To Kill The Password With Passkey Standard

In an attempt to go passwordless, Apple, Google, and Microsoft have decided to kill the password using the Passkey standard, also called multi-device FIDO credential.

To commemorate "World Password Day," Apple, Google, and Microsoft are initiating a "joint effort" to eliminate the password on the first Thursday of May. "Expand support for a common passwordless sign-in standard created by the FIDO Alliance and the World Wide Web Consortium," the major OS vendors say.

The standard is referred to as a "passkey" or a "multi-device FIDO credential." Instead of a long string of characters, the app or website you're logging into would send a request for authentication to your phone. You'd then need to unlock the phone, authenticate with a pin or biometric, and then you'd be good to go. Anyone who has set up phone-based two-factor authentication would recognize this approach, although it is a replacement for the password rather than an additional component.

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