Raise your hand if you're terrible at remembering passwords. ✋
Good news. Last week, the World Wide Web Consortium approved WebAuthn, a new authentication standard for password-free logins.
How it works: WebAuthn is an API that lets websites communicate with security devices, and allows users to log into their online accounts using biometrics and authentication hardware like FIDO security keys.
WebAuthn is already supported by browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari. Android and Windows 10 also support the new standard.
The next step for WebAuthn? Websites need to integrate the standard. Dropbox, Facebook, GitHub, Salesforce, Stripe and Twitter are already on board.
Why this is important: WebAuthn is more secure than the weak passwords that a lot of people use to safeguard their online accounts. Three out of four people use duplicate passwords online, and 21 percent of people use passwords that are over 10 years old. 😳
What does this mean for password managers like 1Password, PadLock, Dashlane, Google Titan and Blockvault? Time will tell. But not having a password at all is simpler than having to remember any password in the first place. 🔒