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Google passkeys will replace passwords — here's how to set them up
Passkeys are faster, stronger, and more protected than passwords. Here's why they're the future of personal login security
Are you tired of passwords? We're tired of passwords, even when they're made easier with a password manager app. Companies like Google are tired of passwords because they create too many potential vulnerabilities for user security. Everyone knows it's a problem. And now, a solution is on the rise. Welcome to the world of passkeys.
How Apple Advanced Data Protection compares with Google's Advanced Protection Program
Here's the difference between Apple and Google help you to protect your data
Digital threats are becoming more common and sophisticated, and big tech companies are responding by implementing tighter security measures. In December 2022, Apple announced three security features to protect user data. These features safeguard your iMessage, Apple ID, and iCloud data against external threats. Apple's security program comes nearly three years after Google launched its Advanced Protection Program, which provides similar protections to even your budget Android phone or tablet.
Almost no one takes their security seriously. I know there are certain people that think storing passwords written down in an actual book is a good idea — that these timeless invocations whispered in taps to Amazon, Bank of America, or Google by their very presence save them from the glasses-and-trenchcoat-dressed “hackers.” These are the same people that ignore piles of pending security updates and whole inches of screen space lost to browser toolbars. You just can’t make people storing their banking credentials in plain text notes saved to iCloud or Drive care about their security because any loss of convenience for them is a non-starter. But almost every adult carries around a set of keys for their car or home, and there’s a solution they can use which is every bit as convenient as that.
Authy: How to enable two-factor authentication on all your accounts
New to two-factor authentication, or just want to move to Authy? We've got you covered
Our data is on the internet. Now more than ever, that sentence rings true as we use social media and other online services more than ever before. Sadly, where there's data, there are people trying to exploit it, which is why data breaches and hacks are becoming more common.
You can now log into Twitter on Android with your 2FA key alone
It can now be your only two-factor authentication method
Read update
Twitter has had two-factor security based on physical keys, like the Yubikey or Google's Titan keys, for a long time. You've been able to log in with said keys on your phone (assuming your key works with your phone) for a few months. But what if you have to manage your company's PR Twitter account while on the go? Or more typically, what if you have a USB-A key for your desktop and an NFC key for mobile usage?
Facebook finally takes long overdue step to bolster mobile security
Four years after security keys came to desktop
Twitter apps get support for hardware two-factor security keys
Log in on Android or iOS with your hardware 2FA key
There are plenty of forms of so-called two-factor authentication when it comes to security, and not all of them are equal. Among the higher tiers of security is an actual, physical hardware key that requires you to plug it in when signing into an account. Fans of the standard will be glad to hear that Twitter has just announced that hardware key-based two-factor authentication can now be used to log in on Android and iOS.
The latest YubiKey is the first to feature both USB-C and NFC
One of the most universal hardware key solutions
Yubico is praised as the maker of some of the best physical security keys currently out there, but the company isn't resting on its laurels. Today, it has announced the latest addition to its YubiKey 5 series, the YubiKey 5C NFC. It can be seen as an advanced version of the regular 5C, and it's the company's first key to feature both USB-C and NFC, which might make it its most universal one yet when it comes to phones.
2FA security keys for your Google account can now be set up from Android devices
Also MacOS devices using Safari
Most of us value our security, even if we might be a bit too lazy to make every single account as safe as it can/should be, and that's the problem. It's hard to get all your accounts set up with stuff like two-factor authentication/2FA between all the different methods and the fact that you can't even set it up for all your accounts from every platform. Google just eliminated at least one barrier with a change today, though, as the company is now allowing you to enroll security keys from Android using Chrome, as well as macOS devices running Safari.
If you use a two-factor security key for your Google account, then you might know about the company's Advanced Protection Program, which enables a handful of additional security protections and restrictions. What you might not know is that if you have enabled that program on your account, you can gift a friend a Titan security key set and get a new Nest Mini for yourself, all for free.
Yubico makes some of the best USB security keys currently available. The company's products make it easy to add hardware-based two-factor authentication to many online accounts, but varying connectors and OS limitations make it harder to use them across platforms. Now Yubico has something closer to the best solution: the YubiKey 5Ci.
Google released the Titan Security Key last year, as part of the company's growing focus on two-factor authentication. The kit comes with a USB Type-A key and a battery-powered Bluetooth/NFC key, and both could be configured as 2FA methods with Google accounts. The last thing you want in your security key is a security flaw, but that's just what has been discovered.
The success of two-step verification processes is prone to two factors: security and convenience. Maybe you, the average person, want to keep all your personal data online safe and sound, but buying a $50 dongle that serves no other purpose than to be a key to a very specific lock doesn't make sense for you. Google has you covered now as it is beta testing a way for your Android phone to be that key to all of your Google account information on your desktop or laptop.
For years, Google has been on a mission to make sure you're the only one that can access your online accounts. The company released the Titan Security Key Bundle last year, as a two-factor authentication key for Google accounts (as well as any other FIDO U2F-compatible service). However, the key may have been discontinued, as the Google Store page now says "No longer available."
Yubico, one of the more well-known names in two-factor hardware security keys, has just revealed its new YubiKey 5 Series: four new keys that all support FIDO2, and a big USB-A model that does NFC. The new keys look almost exactly like their counterparts in the old YubiKey 4 Series, with the same durable designs for both USB-A and USB-C keys.
Those of us that care about our online security probably use some form of two-factor authentication to secure our most important accounts, but even the strongest password and the longest authentication code are still subject to something as simple as a phishing attack, which is why so many have switched to hardware security keys. Google helped to create the Universal 2nd Factor (U2F) hardware authentication standard, and now it's releasing its own product to consumers: the $50 Titan Security Key.
If you're conscious of your own digital security in the modern era, then odds are you use two/multi-factor authentication to secure your more important accounts, but not all methods are equal. If you're especially concerned about privacy or in a "high value" position, in security terms, hardware-based keys are the better choice, as they offer additional protections against things like phishing attacks. And starting today, those invested heavily into Google's ecosystem can pick up the previously announced Titan Security Keys over on the Google Store.
Google is in full-on enterprise announcement mode, today being the second of three days dedicated to its business-centric Cloud Next conference. One interesting tidbit that's been making the rounds (independently of an announcement at the event itself, so far) is some new security hardware Google plans on selling in its store. This isn't anything so glamorous as a new phone, tablet, or Chromebook, though: They're a pair of hardware 2FA security keys.
Phishing attacks are deceptively successful against less experienced users, but even those that consider themselves reasonably technical can occasionally fall prey to the simple approach. According to a recent report by Krebs on Security, Google and its employees aren't among the 76% of businesses that have been victims of phishing attacks in the last year. In fact, not one of the company's employees work accounts has been successfully phished since 2017, thanks to hardware 2FA security keys.