San Francisco: Tech giant Google on Thursday launched a new passkey technology. The new security mechanism is being touted as the "beginning of the end" of passwords as it is designed to completely replace passwords.
The passkey technology will allow authentication with fingerprint ID, facial ID, or pin on the phone or any other device you use. Users can basically access their Google accounts using the same biometric authentication used to unlock phones.
A passkey can be created for each device used to log in to the accounts or you can create one single passkey to be shared across multiple devices using an app. Each passkey will be unique to the service for which it is used. This will make other accounts safe in the case of one account being hacked.
Google in a statement said: "We’ve taken a giant step forward on the journey towards a passwordless future. We’ve begun rolling out support for passkeys across Google Accounts on all major platforms. This means users can now take advantage of passkeys across Google Services for a passwordless sign-in experience."
According to Google, the new technology will make sign-in easier and more secure on any device. "Passkeys make devices less vulnerable to hacking and prevent phishing, SIM-swap, and other methods of stealing passwords. Data is never shared, rather it is stored in a cryptographic private key on the device."
The new technology is still at an early stage. Passwords and 2-stage verification processes will still be available.
The new passkey technology was developed by Google, Apple, and Microsoft as part of the Fido or Fast Identity Online industry group that is pursuing alternative authentication methods. Apple and Microsoft have already begun using it. Apple introduced the technology in iOS16 and the latest MacOS release. Microsoft is using it via the Authenticator app.