Three of the world’s biggest tech companies are promoting the idea that you won’t need to keep stepping into your password, in which case you will no longer have to remember different variations of your usual password “Kingkong05jacksonbestfilm69!” log in to access your email or Amazon accounts.
The FIDO Alliance (AKA Fast Identity Online) announced Thursday that it is working with Apple, Microsoft and Google on a new “common standard for passwordless login”. FIDO said in a Release that managing a multitude of passwords is difficult for consumers, especially since maintaining the same password across multiple accounts can lead to devastating results in case of hacking.
While they’re light on the details, FIDO said they’re working with a slew of tech companies and service providers to create a passwordless login. Microsoft, Apple, and Google have also confirmed that the system works in their separate browsers. The new capabilities will be rolled out over the coming year, the alliance said in its statement.
Although current FIDO-based systems require an original login to enable automatic login, planned new systems will allow users to automatically access their “access key” on multiple devices without having to re-register accounts for each individual material element. The technology will also allow users to log into an app or website on a nearby device, regardless of the operating system or device they are on. using.
Mark Risher, senior director of product management at Google, said in a statement that the technology “represents nearly a decade of work” for their company alongside FIDO. Risher added that he plans to make the system available in Chrome, ChromeOS and Android, alongside other platforms and external apps and websites.
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Andrew Shikiar, FIDO’s chief executive, said the login system gives “service providers a full range of options to deploy modern, phishing-resistant authentication.”
Some users have turned to password managers, which store random passwords in a browser, to protect their identity. Companies have also made heavy use of two-factor authentication, requiring multiple devices or accounts to log into an app or site, but even that is proving to be less and less infallible. Browsers other than the big three have offered better security overallso there are other options for users looking for safe browsing outside of FIDO’s new system.
“Any viable solution must be more secure, simpler and faster than the passwords and legacy multi-factor authentication methods used today,” said Alex Simons, vice president of program management at identity at Microsoft.
FIDO is an association created in 2012 that brings together most of the big names in the tech space, with a suite of members of the board of directors of companies like Microsoft, Apple and Google, as well as Amazon, Intel, Visa and After. Its systems are already used by device makers and web designers across the tech-o-sphere, especially in auto-login systems seen across multiple devices like Google Chrome or Apple accounts.
The most used web browsers remain Google Chrome by far, but recently Microsoft Edge go forward of Apple’s Safari browser as the second most used browser on desktop computers, but second place shifts to mobile phone browsing where the mobile version of Safari takes second place.