Apple WWDC event has taken place recently and tons of advanced features are announced in the event. Apple in the last year’s WWDC has announced that users can sign in to websites on Safari using Face ID and Touch ID. This year they have made their point by introducing “PassKeys” which is a secure key for your credentials. The system will enable a new way for logging in to many websites; on the Apple devices such as iPhones and Macs.
The announcement was made in a developer session of the event — Move beyond passwords. In the session, the company has come up with a name called PassKeys. It is a full feature that lets you store passwords on iCloud. The PassKeys will allow you to sign up for services without any passwords.
Apple says
Despite their prevalence, passwords inherently come with challenges that make them poorly suited to securing someone’s online accounts.
Apple PassKey Feature on iOS 15 and macOS Monterey
The tech giant is rolling out the PassKey feature on their new iOS 15 for iPhones and macOS Monterey for Macs. The functioning of PassKeys is users won’t need to carry hardware keys; with them — their iPhone, iPad, or Mac will contain the passkey for physical locks and car locks.
The logging-in process for the websites and applications is also the same. You need to enter your desired username when you sign up and then use Face ID or Touch ID to sign in instead of using a password. The PassKeys are stored securely in iCloud Keychain and are synced with all your other Apple devices at the same time.
The PassKeys technology is based on the FIDO (Fast IDentity Online) Alliance’s WebAuthn protocol; a part of the iCloud Keychain system. The tech giant has joined forces with FIDO last year for supporting password-free authentication. In comparison to traditional passwords, Apple’s PassKeys have a few security benefits.
The PassKey on the iCloud chain is a string of text used to log into an app or website that you need. The keys are impossible to guess and don’t repeat for other applications or websites after use. This feature helps the user by keeping away from vulnerable situations like phishing or data breaches.
The users registered with PassKeys can alternatively log in to the applications or websites with their Face ID or Touch ID. The feature is usable on applications and websites that support WebAuthn. The WebAuthn technology is available on browsers and apps on Apple’s devices. The feature may take some time for full-fledged use across Apple’s platform around the world.
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