With evolving cyber threats, passwords alone can no longer keep online accounts fully secure. Passwords as we know them can be often guessed, reused across multiple sites, or compromised in data breaches. In response, innovative and more secure methods, like FIDO passkeys, certified by The FIDO Alliance, and multi-factor authentication (MFA), are transforming the way we approach digital security.
Passkeys are game-changers in passwordless technology, authenticating users without them needing to create a password, via device-bound cryptographic keys. This creates a smooth login with great security because it establishes a unique connection between the user's device and the online service. Read more about what are passkeys here.
Leveraging FIDO2 and WebAuthn API, passkeys offer stronger protection against phishing and other password-related vulnerabilities than any other authentication method, while reducing a big part of the friction users often experience with traditional authentication systems.
The terms passkeys and passwordless authentication are often used together but have different meanings. Passwordless authentication is an umbrella term covering various authentication methods that do not rely on passwords, such as passkeys, biometrics, and one-time passwords.
Passkeys are a specific type of passwordless authentication method that utilizes cryptographic keys for authentication, making them highly secure against attacks while greatly reducing user friction. While all passkeys are passwordless, not all passwordless solutions are passkeys; instead, passkeys are one of the most advanced implementations within the passwordless space.
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is an adaptive authentication method that involves multiple forms of verifications to prove one's identity, not just a password. This multi-layer approach greatly enhances security to the level that even if one factor, a password, for example, is compromised, the additional steps of verification protect the account from unauthorized access.
Typically, MFA combines at least two of the following factors:
By combining these, MFA makes it significantly harder or even impossible for an attacker to gain unauthorized access. While MFA greatly strengthens security, it requires multiple factors to be verified by users which adds a lot of friction. This is where passkeys, being a simpler yet highly secure alternative, provide the edge in offering robust security without needing multiple steps.
Multi-factor authentication can take several forms, the most common types include:
MFA works by layering several types of authentication to prove the identity of a user. When a user logs in, they first enter their password (which is something they know). Then, the system prompts for extra factors, such as a one-time code from an authenticator app or a fingerprint scan (which is something they have or are).
With the system in place, it's much more difficult for rogue users to gain unauthorized entry even if they compromise a single layer. On the backend, MFA utilizes encrypted protocols to share information across the system. When such information is input into an MFA system, it is only granted entry from a verified set of credentials.
While often confused as the same, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) have a subtle difference. 2FA is a subset of MFA that requires exactly two forms of verification, typically combining a password with another factor, like a code or biometric scan.
MFA, on the other hand, includes any authentication process that requires two or more factors, so it can involve two, three, or even more layers of security. MFA provides more flexibility and potentially stronger security, while 2FA is a simpler, widely adopted form of multi-factor protection.
Many advancements in authentication, including some MFA tools and passkey implementations, leverage open-source frameworks, allowing for community-driven improvements and transparency in security.
While both passkeys and MFA enhance security, they take different approaches. Passkeys eliminate the use of passwords entirely, leveraging device-based cryptographic keys for streamlined, single-step logins. They are based on asymmetric encryption, the user's device and the accessed service would be the only sources to have the details of authentication, making it highly resistant to phishing and interception.
On the contrary, MFA still heavily relies on passwords, with additional steps in the verification process. Although secure, MFA can add friction with multiple steps. Passkeys aim to simplify authentication by reducing these steps while maintaining high security through a passwordless approach.
Passkey authentication achieves MFA in a single, frictionless step.
Passkeys combine the strengths of MFA, layered security, and resistance to attacks while eliminating the friction of multiple steps and password dependency.
Passkeys serve as a modern, efficient method of MFA, where multiple factors of security come together into one smooth process. Passkeys use cryptographic keys that will seamlessly authenticate users without any additional verification steps.
This approach delivers the layered security of MFA with minimal user effort by combining something the user has (their device) and who they are (biometrics). What passkeys do is deliver MFA-level security while significantly simplifying the process.
