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You will soon be able to easily move your passkeys between password managers

By Maria Santos
2 min read
Passkeys
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In this article (5)

The FIDO Alliance, a consortium dedicated to creating open standards for authentication, has announced a significant step towards a passwordless future. In a recent press release, the organization unveiled draft specifications that aim to standardize the secure exchange of passkeys and other credentials across different providers. This means you’ll be able to easily move your passkeys between different services, like password managers or online accounts, without compromising security.

Big names like Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Samsung are all on board with this new system, and they’re working together to make sure it’s easy for everyone to use seamlessly across different devices and platforms. Why is this a big deal? Well, passkeys are already more secure than passwords. They protect users from phishing scams and make logging in much easier. With more than 12 billion online accounts already using passkeys, this new development is set to make the internet a safer and more convenient place.

Recognizing their importance, the FIDO Alliance is working to give users more control and making online security less of a headache. To start, they want to make sure you can easily switch between different services without having to worry about your passwords falling into the wrong hands.

p until now, there wasn’t a universal way to share passkeys securely. That’s where the FIDO Alliance comes in, as they have introduced two draft specifications to address this challenge: the Credential Exchange Protocol (CXP) and the Credential Exchange Format (CXF). These establish a standardized framework for securely transferring credentials, including passwords, passkeys, and more, between credential managers. The transfer process is designed to ensure that sensitive information is not exposed and remains protected by default.

Once these specifications are finalized and standardized, they will be made openly accessible for credential providers to implement. This will empower users with a secure and effortless experience when switching between providers, should they choose to do so.

Once these specifications are finalized and standardized, they will be made openly accessible for credential providers to implement.

The FIDO Alliance is actively encouraging community review and feedback on the working draft specifications, emphasizing that they are not yet intended for implementation, as they may undergo further revisions. However, they encourage those that choose to be involved, to take a gander at the published drafts and provide feedback through their GitHub repository.

As someone who juggles a lot of online accounts, the idea of easily and securely moving my passkeys between services sounds like a step forward. I’m really looking forward to seeing how, once implemented, this new system simplifies my digital life and makes online security less of a chore. It’s great to see these major tech companies working together to make the internet a safer and more user-friendly place.

Questions & Answers

Q.

Which specific new specifications has the FIDO Alliance introduced to address the challenge of securely sharing passkeys?

A.

The FIDO Alliance has introduced two draft specifications: the Credential Exchange Protocol (CXP) and the Credential Exchange Format (CXF). These aim to establish a standardised framework for securely transferring credentials between managers.

Q.

What is the current status of these new specifications from the FIDO Alliance?

A.

They are currently draft specifications, not yet intended for implementation. The FIDO Alliance is actively encouraging community review and feedback, as they may undergo further revisions before being finalised and openly accessible.

Q.

Which major technology companies are supporting the FIDO Alliance's new system for passkey standardisation?

A.

Big names like Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Samsung are all on board with this new system. They are working together to ensure it is easy for everyone to use smoothly across different devices and platforms.

Q.

How will these new specifications benefit users once they are fully implemented?

A.

Once finalised and implemented, the specifications will empower users with a secure and effortless experience when switching between different credential providers. This will also make online security less of a headache.

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