As authentication standards continue to evolve, passkeys are becoming an increasingly popular alternative to traditional passwords. They provide a simpler user experience while significantly improving security, making them a strong candidate for future authentication across applications.
What are Passkeys?
A passkey is a modern authentication method based on public-key cryptography. Instead of creating and remembering a password, a user’s device generates a cryptographic key pair:
- Public key – Stored by the application or service.
- Private key – Stored securely on the user’s device (and, with synced passkeys, across the user’s other trusted devices via the platform provider). The private key is never shared with the service.
When a user signs in, the application sends a challenge that is signed using the private key. The server verifies the signature with the stored public key, proving the user’s identity without transmitting or storing a password.
Passkeys are typically unlocked using the device’s existing authentication methods, such as biometrics (fingerprint or face recognition) or a device PIN.
Why are Passkeys Used?
Traditional passwords have several well-known weaknesses:
- Users often choose weak or reused passwords.
- Passwords can be stolen through phishing or data breaches.
- Password resets create support overhead.
- Multi-factor authentication improves security but adds friction.
Passkeys address these issues by removing the password entirely. Because the private key never leaves the user’s device ecosystem, there is no password to steal or reuse, and phishing attacks become significantly more difficult.
Why are Passkeys Used?
Traditional passwords have several well-known weaknesses:
- Users often choose weak or reused passwords.
- Passwords can be stolen through phishing or data breaches.
- Password resets create support overhead.
- Multi-factor authentication improves security but adds friction.
Passkeys address these issues by removing the password entirely. Because the private key never leaves the user’s device ecosystem, there is no password to steal or reuse, and phishing attacks become significantly more difficult.
How Might They Help Our Applications?
Passkeys could provide benefits across several of our projects, including:
- Faster and simpler authentication
- Stronger protection against compromised credentials
- Improved user experience with passwordless sign-in
- Enhanced security by default
- Potential reduction in support and account-recovery costs
- Better resistance to phishing attacks
- Strong cryptographic authentication without extra steps
- Broad support across modern browsers and operating systems
- Synchronisation across trusted devices through services such as iCloud Keychain or Google Password Manager (where supported)
Drawbacks
Although passkeys offer many advantages, there are some considerations:
- Users may be unfamiliar with the concept and require guidance.
- Legacy browsers or older devices may have limited support.
- Shared or public devices may not be suitable for passkey enrolment.
- Recovery processes must be carefully designed if a user loses access to all registered devices.
- Existing authentication flows may require updates to support passkey registration and management.
Summary
Passkeys represent a significant step forward in authentication by combining improved security with a simpler sign-in experience. They eliminate many of the risks associated with traditional passwords while reducing friction for users.
For future development, passkeys are worth considering, particularly where security, usability, and reduced support overhead are important priorities.
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