Passkeys or FIDO authentication offer more accessibility, more security, and faster sign-ins to apps and websites from different user devices as compared to the user or password authentication.
Businesses that depend on password-based login systems might face problems like hacking attempts, data breaches, phishing attacks, keyloggers, and so on.
First, the concept of password-based logins was introduced to provide security, and to some extent, it does so.
However, many web users often end up creating weak passwords or reusing the same passwords in different applications and services. Cybercriminals can easily guess or hack those weak passwords and gain access to accounts.
Cybersecurity professionals next developed multi-factor authentication (MFA), where verification is done through text messages, emails, or phone calls. Although this practice adds another layer of security, it doesn’t eradicate the problem; it just makes things difficult for a hacker.
To offer better security and reduce or prevent attacks, another technology has been developed – FIDO Authentication or Passkeys.
In this article, I’ll discuss what FIDO authentication is, how it benefits your business, and some of the best FIDO providers.
Let’s start!
What Is FIDO Authentication?
Fast Identity Online (FIDO) is a high-level security standard that provides strong specifications for authentication. It is designed and developed by the FIDO Alliance that targets to give strong authentication at the protocol and client layers.
FIDO authentication or passkeys can replace the old and traditional way of sign-in with fast and secure login experiences. FIDO specifications have multifactor authentication and public key cryptography. Unlike password authentication, FIDO stores information, including biometric authentication data, on user devices to prevent it attacks.
With FIDO authentication, the effort of developers in creating secure logins for clients reduces. This supports FIDO2, Universal Second Factor protocols (U2F), and Universal Authentication Framework (UAF). UAF helps the client device create a new pair of keys during registration that retains as a private key and a public key for online services.
FIDO authentication offers convenient and secure access to websites and applications for users using proximity badges, USB devices, physical tokens, etc. With FIDO, you don’t have to remember any password or security questions to log in to your account.
How Does FIDO Authentication Work?
FIDO authentication helps minimize attacks due to passwords. The working principle of FIDO is quite simple:
- Registration: vIn the registration stage, a user attempts to open an online service. At the time of sign-in, the user needs to select the authentication option.
- Key-pair generation: The user device generates a key pair that is specific to the user’s device, user account, and online service. The private key retains on the device itself, but the public key is used in an online service linked to the user’s account. Throughout this process, biometric data and private keys never leave the user’s devices, and also all the communication is encrypted, reducing the chance of security breaches.
- Identity verification: The user can now access the online service via the identity verification method. The device that is used selects the private key and gets through the online service’s challenge in a manner that proves that the device has a private key. The device then transmits the challenge back to the service and allows it to verify the authentication against the public key.
Once verified, the user can access the desired account or information.
Now, let’s talk about some of the best FIDO authentication/passkey providers for web applications and portals.
Authsignal
Upgrade your customer security now with Authsignal’s slick passkey prompts and drop passkey authentication anytime, anywhere. It offers instant access to passwordless and effortless UX that helps you get its top-tier Authenticator Enrolment, and Challenge flows.
Authsignal supports SDK, which means the launch enrolment, along with the challenge, flows from the Web Authsignal.js or via Native Mobile Web Views. You can use SDKs and APIs to integrate Authsignal’s flows into CIAM (such as Cognito and Auth0). Plus, you can add your logo easily.
Connect your Messagebird or Twilio account easily to turn on the SMS One Time Password (SOTP). In addition, you can go with Time One Time Password (TOTP) authentication technique to ensure a smooth experience for your users.
Moreover, you will find modern mobile and web browsers with specialized hardware and built-in biometrics. Authsignal offers additional features, such as no code rules engine and a single view of the customer.
Book a demo or create a free account and secure your data. Or, start your secure journey from $0.05 per active user per month and avail yourself of a lot of benefits.
Passage
Give an amazing experience to your customers with Passage‘s more secure and simpler sign-in options. With a few lines of code, you can implement flawless passwordless authentication in your website or application.
Enable your users to sign in and create accounts with a glance or touch and drive more engagement. By leading the way to the future into a passwordless world, you can reduce the threat of credential-based attacks. It will also save you effort and time in endless password resets.
Replace your old authentication flow technique and go completely passwordless using a standalone auth solution. You can build a robust solution from scratch for customer identity management and passwordless authentication.
With Passage’s Passkey Complete, you can get full security for your users and business by eliminating password-based login and offering passkey sign-ins.
Passage is built for privacy and security and advancing its steps towards new standards. It is completely FIDO2 compliant. Directly implement cutting-edge authentication into your website, product, or application in minutes and stay focused on building a big thing.
Integrate your favorite tech stacks, such as Vue, Django, Rails, Angular, and more seamlessly with easy-to-use SDKs and APIs. You can migrate your customers to Passage with the help of quick import.
Schedule a demo or try it for free. Go fully passwordless from $0.05/ active user / Month.
Auth0
Are you facing difficulty in remembering your passwords?
Auth0 allows you to get freedom from passwords by accepting the new technology of passwordless authentication. It enables a frictionless and secure experience for all of its users.
WebAuthn passwordless authentication is unattackable, leaving your users safer than ever. When you authenticate with WebAuthn biometrics, you are leveraging Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), which means once you authenticate, you do not need to authenticate again and again.
When a user tries to enroll with a device having biometric options, it will ease the passwordless transition, allowing users to log in easily. Lock Passwordless encapsulates the right track for authentication and can be embedded into email and SMS for tablet, desktop, and mobile devices.
Give your customers a choice for a seamless, secure, and passwordless experience. Try Auth0 now for free for a maximum of 7000 active users. Start building a secure destination with Auth0 and get unlimited login options.
Bitwarden
Get a strong passwordless authentication with Bitwarden Passwordless.dev in minutes and allow your users, workforce, and customers to have secure and smooth login experiences.
Bitwarden enables a secure login experience for its users, making the authentication flow fast and smooth for your user base. Make your enterprise phish-proof by giving the ability to teams that they can access enterprise applications and systems without relying on passwords.
If you want to minimize the complexities linked with passkey development, Bitwarden Passwordless.dev offers you an API framework. You can use modern browsers and open-source standards to build FIDO2 WebAuthn applications, such as fingerprint, face ID, and Windows Hello for your end users, teams, and customers.
You can integrate Bitwarden Passwordless.dev with existing authentication solutions to enable passkey features with no need to replace or recode. It offers an admin console that allows you to manage your applications, users, passkeys, and more easily in one place.
Third-party assessments of the Passwordless.dev documentation, processes, and open-source code help you to secure your data from attackers.
Start using Bitwarden for free for up to 10,000 users and get a full software kit along with one app per organization, one console administrator, documentation access, and more. Avail yourself of extra features and benefits at a starting price of $0.05/user/month.
Yubico
Begin your secure setup journey for your customers’ data with Yubico. It constantly contributes to the WebAuthn protocol, a standard that allows secure authentication with passkeys. The WebAuthn API enables the creation of a public key for authenticating users.
Yubico develops a wide range of SDKs for Android and iOS, and desktop that enable developers to integrate hardware security rapidly into their services and applications. Thus, it helps in delivering strong security on a range of devices.
The YubiHSM2 SDK has numerous interfaces and tools that help you manage the YubiHSM 2 FIPS and YubiHSM 2 hardware. It also includes Microsoft’s PKCS#11 and KSP modules. Furthermore, Yubico offers flexible and open-source software to integrate strong authentication into the products or services.
You will get many solutions for securing and encrypting secrets on the servers. The solutions are Java WebAuthn, Yubico Desktop OATH Authenticator, Java OTP client, C CTAP client, and more. Get early access to the FIDO2 resources and start your passwordless journey.
SecureAuth
SecureAuth is a proud member of the FIDO Alliance and is also FIDO certified. FIDO2 cryptographic login data are unique across websites, never store any data on a server, and never leave the user’s device. This security protocol eliminates phishing risks and all other forms of data theft and replay attacks.
Users get cryptographic login details with built-in methods, including cameras on the devices or fingerprint readers. They can also use FIDO security keys to unlock the logic credentials. In addition, you have the flexibility to select devices that fit their needs.
Along with security and privacy, SecureAuth offers the benefit of scalability. Websites can easily enable FIDO2 using a straightforward JavaScript API call. This is supported across many leading platforms and browsers on numerous devices that customers use every day.
By implementing SecureAuth FIDO2 into your business, you can enable cost savings through:
- A standards-based approach to secure the future of authentication investments,
- Security and interoperability across different supply chains, and
- Removal of costly device provisioning, customer support calls, and password resets
Request a demo to see how SecureAuth can easily secure your information, letting you sign in to any platform without worrying about security breaches.
Hanko
As security becomes a major concern for everyone, Hanko introduces passkeys to start a new era of sign-in that does not need any passwords. These passkeys are easier and more secure. Hanko also has security capabilities like face recognition, fingerprint, etc.
Hanko passkeys are characterized by public key cryptography. It supports almost all major platforms and devices. With Hanko, you can make a passwordless login easily without any hassle. In addition, passcodes are perfect for email verification and authentication.
Hanko’s mobile biometrics bring the default passkeys to your mobile applications so that you can use them conveniently. For better security, you can use FIDO security keys. Hanko offers OAuth Login that allows you to add third-party identity providers to the login page.
Hanko combines passkeys with passcode authentication for the best security and convenience. This combination is known as WebAuthn. A simple one-time code can be used for fallback authentication in order to reestablish access to any account.
Go with Hanko’s starter pack for free, or choose any plan suitable for your business, starting at $9/month plus $0.01/user/month.
Authgear
Bring a unique passwordless experience to your customers with Authgear passkeys, a FIDO credential supported by Microsoft, Google, and Apple. Although it provides a simpler approach, it is more secure than the old password authentication technique with Passkey API.
Since passwords are vulnerable to various attacks, Authgear offers a new way of securing digital credentials that follow WebAuthn and FIDO standards. Your users can easily login in or sign up to your page without memorizing or entering complex passwords.
Passkeys eliminate the risk of attacks associated with passwords, such as credential leaks, phishing, and more. This is more convenient as users just need to provide their username to open a new account. Authgear uses a biometric sensor, such as facial recognition, fingerprint, etc. from your device to get you authenticated while login.
Authgear helps reduce the friction in the login and signup processes, enhancing your application conversion rate. With the use of passkeys, users can log into your applications and websites easily without re-enrolling to every device.
Furthermore, users can log in across various platforms by scanning the QR code with their devices already registered. You can stay focused on your work and let Authgear take the magical step of APIs and coding. All you need is to integrate Authgear into your applications and websites and then click on “Log in with Passkeys” to make Passkey the primary authenticator.
Request a demo or start your journey now to access the pre-built setting page for your users and allow them to control their data from anywhere, anytime.
Conclusion
FIDO allows users to authenticate to the online services in desktop and mobile environments. It offers convenience, security, privacy, and scalability so that users can sign up or log in from their devices hassle-free.
The technology supports an entire range of high-level authentication technologies, including biometrics (iris scanners, fingerprint, facial recognition, voice recognition, etc.), existing communications and solutions standards, such as USB security tokens, Trusted Platform Modules, smart cards, and more.
So, choose the best FIDO authentication providers from the above list based on your needs and stay secure.
You may also explore some user authentication platforms.