Support was first offered in May, but now Google suggests it as the default choice.

Passkey is some sort of specific unique key to a device allowing to use a pin on a device instead of the password. But which won’t work on another device.

Now I don’t know if that key can be stolen or not, or if it’s really more secure or not, as people have really unsecure pins.

    • surewhynotlem@lemmy.worldEnglish
      102·
      1 year ago

      Most hardware today has what’s called a TPM. It’s a physical hardware chip that can store certificates in a way that can’t be extracted.

      It’s way more secure than someone stealing a cer file.

    • confusedbytheBasics@lemmy.worldEnglish
      610·
      1 year ago

      It doesn’t feel better? Good thing security doesn’t care about feelings. The fact is it is more secure no matter what it feels like. Privacy is maintained since you use a new key with each site. There is no IMEI or anything like that in the passkey spec. Social engineering ranges from more difficult to impossible depending on if you use a synced, local software based, or hardware based passkey system.

      You have a lot of incorrect assumptions. Read https://support.apple.com/en-us/102195 and https://fidoalliance.org/passkeys/#faq.

        • confusedbytheBasics@lemmy.worldEnglish
          11·
          1 year ago

          Use a pair of hardware tokens and a long pin if you want maximum security. If you want to use a sync-able software token do that and set a strong pin.

          You like long passwords? Go ahead and put one on your passkeys. You don’t have to use a short pin.

          It is two factor. Something you have, key in TPM or hardware token, and something you know: the PIN. Or if you choose to enable biometric it shifts to two things you have the: key and your face/fingerprint.

          Remember you only have limited attempts to guess the PIN and biometric auth is subject to configurable timeout conditions before the PIN is required.

          Any security conscious person will use a strong PIN. Many will choose to use biometrics as well for convenience. Most people are still setting their password to Sm3llyK@t42 on every website. A protected key and a 4-digit pin/finger print is a huge leap in security.

            • confusedbytheBasics@lemmy.worldEnglish
              1·
              1 year ago

              But that’s the whole thing we are trying to solve here. We are trying to eliminate human factor and by extension bad habits people have when it comes to security. So expecting people to use good passwords and pins for keys will be the same as expecting people to have good passwords for accounts. Perhaps even worse because of claims it’s better security so people might even relax more.

              I feel like it’s 2001 and I’m trying to convince my users to switch from passwords to RSA keys for SSH. Yes there are potential weaknesses. Yes it’s still much better.

              Also timeouts with pins and passwords mean very little once someone has your device. This is why I don’t consider it good two-factor. PIN might be in your head, but nothing is preventing someone brute forcing it. Once you image the device you can do whatever you want. With credit cards, you’d need ATM to keep doing it and lockout is a serious problem there.

              Even if all we’ve done is reduced potential attackers from everyone with an Internet connection to people with physical access to the device we’ve still massively increased the average user’s security. And we’ve done more than that.

              Also unless you can clone the device somehow hitting max guesses and losing access just like an ATM is part of the design.

              It’s a step in right direction for sure, but I’d prefer if keys didn’t depend on PIN or password.

              I lost track of your suggestion over the weekend but what was your suggestion for second factor other than a pin or password?

                • confusedbytheBasics@lemmy.worldEnglish
                  1·
                  1 year ago

                  Thanks for the civil discussion. While my views haven’t changed I have learned a lot about possible objections from informed people.

                  Let’s hope this new auth standard is implemented responsibly by all the major parties and that weak passwords and phishing become relics of the past.