Passkeys are quickly becoming a popular solution for secure, passwordless authentication, addressing the long-standing vulnerabilities of traditional passwords. With major tech players like Apple, Google, and Microsoft embracing this technology, the shift towards a passwordless future is gaining momentum. But one question that continues to surface is: How easy is it to use passkeys across different platforms?
At the Authenticate 2024 conference, the FIDO Alliance introduced two key developments that make passkeys more practical and easier to implement: Credential Exchange Protocol (CXP) and Passkey Central. These initiatives help solve two main challenges: ensuring the portability of passkeys across different platforms and simplifying the implementation process for businesses.
Why Passkeys Are a Game-Changer
Passkeys are designed to eliminate the need for traditional passwords by using public-key cryptography. Unlike passwords, passkeys cannot be easily phished, leaked, or guessed. Instead of entering a password, users authenticate using biometric data (like a fingerprint or face scan) or a PIN stored securely on their device.
Passkeys work by generating a unique cryptographic key pair. The private key stays on the user’s device, and the public key is shared with the service. The result is a safer, easier, and more convenient way to log in across platforms.
However, while passkeys offer clear benefits, some users and organizations have raised concerns about their portability between platforms and the complexity of implementing them in existing systems.
The Portability Challenge: Solved with Credential Exchange Protocol (CXP)
One of the biggest concerns users had with passkeys was the difficulty in transferring them between different platforms. For example, what happens when a user switches from an Apple device to an Android device or from Windows to macOS? Traditionally, moving login credentials across ecosystems has been cumbersome and risky.
The Credential Exchange Protocol (CXP) solves this problem by making it easy to securely transfer passkeys between different platforms and devices. This ensures that users aren’t locked into a single ecosystem, allowing for seamless authentication across various operating systems.
Here’s how CXP helps:
- Cross-platform compatibility: Whether you switch from iOS to Android or use multiple devices, CXP ensures that your passkeys remain portable and secure across all platforms.
- Safe transfers: CXP allows passkeys to be transferred securely without exposing them to risks, like plaintext exports or insecure migrations.
By removing these barriers, CXP allows users to move freely between platforms without sacrificing security, eliminating one of the key obstacles to passkey adoption.
The Implementation Challenge: Solved with Passkey Central
For businesses, the complexity of implementing passkeys into existing systems has been another challenge. Many organizations are concerned about the cost and effort required to adopt new authentication technology. Questions like “How do I implement passkeys in my system?” or “What resources are available for passkey integration?” are common among IT teams.
This is where Passkey Central comes in. Passkey Central is an online resource hub created by the FIDO Alliance to help organizations easily integrate passkeys into their platforms.
Here’s what Passkey Central offers:
- Step-by-step implementation guides: These guides simplify the process of adding passkey support to your website, applications, or services.
- Business case resources: Passkey Central provides data and materials to help justify the cost and effort of adopting passkeys to company decision-makers.
- User experience and design guidelines: The platform offers resources on how to create a seamless passkey experience for users, ensuring that the authentication process is smooth and intuitive.
- Troubleshooting and support: Passkey Central includes resources to help businesses overcome technical challenges during the integration process.
By providing a comprehensive set of tools and resources, Passkey Central removes much of the guesswork from passkey implementation, making it more accessible for businesses of all sizes.
How Secfense Can Help with Passkey Implementation
If you’re looking for a way to quickly and efficiently integrate passkeys across your organization, Secfense offers solutions that simplify the process. Secfense provides zero-code integration for strong authentication methods like passkeys, allowing you to add passwordless authentication across all your applications without needing to modify the code or disrupt your existing infrastructure.
This approach helps businesses:
- Reduce costs: By eliminating the need for lengthy development efforts, organizations can save up to 87% of the costs associated with traditional software integration.
- Increase security: Secfense’s method covers 100% of applications with FIDO-based protection, ensuring complete security for your digital infrastructure.
For more information on passkeys and how to implement them in your organization, you can access our comprehensive passkey guide here: Passkey Guide.
Learn More About Passkeys with Open Tech Hour
For a deeper understanding of passkeys and how they work, we invite you to watch Open Tech Hour with Secfense. In one of the episodes, Bartosz Cieszewski explains how passkeys simplify authentication and enhance security for businesses. You can watch the episode here: Open Tech Hour.
Schedule a Call to Explore Passkey Solutions
If you’re interested in adopting passkeys for your organization or have questions about how to get started, we encourage you to schedule a call with Bartosz Cieszewski. He can guide you through the process and provide tailored solutions for your specific needs. Schedule your call here: Schedule a Call.
Conclusion: A Passwordless Future is Closer Than Ever
With the introduction of Credential Exchange Protocol (CXP) and Passkey Central, passkeys are now more portable and easier to implement than ever before. Users can switch between platforms without worrying about losing access to their credentials, and businesses have the tools they need to integrate passkeys seamlessly into their systems.
As passwordless technology continues to grow, passkeys are proving to be a key step toward a more secure and convenient digital world. If you’re ready to move away from passwords and embrace a more secure form of authentication, now is the time to explore the benefits of passkeys.
