Introduction to Passkeys

Ugh, passwords. We all hate 'em, right? And honestly, they're just not cutting it anymore. So, what's the deal with passkeys?

• Passwords are a pain, right? They're hard to remember, easy to forget, and a huge security risk when reused across different sites. This is where passkeys come in, acting as a supercharged replacement for those old-school passwords. They use some pretty fancy cryptography to keep things secure.

• Instead of typing in that same old password, passkeys use a key pair. This is basically two related cryptographic keys. One key, the private key, lives safely on your device (phone, laptop, whatever). This private key is used to digitally "sign" authentication requests. The other key, the public key, is stored on the server of the website or app you're logging into. This public key is used to verify those signatures made by your private key. When you log in, your device uses the private key to sign a challenge from the server, and the server uses your public key to confirm that signature. This proves it's really you without ever sending a password over the internet.

• Logging in becomes way more secure because it's using this key pair, not something you could accidentally type wrong or get phished for.

Next up, we'll dive into why passkeys are way better than those pesky passwords.

How Passkeys Work on Mobile Devices

So, you're probably wondering how exactly these passkeys do their magic on your phone, right? It's actually pretty neat-o.

• First off, your passkeys are stored in a super-secure spot on your mobile device. Think of it like Fort Knox, but for digital keys. This special area is often called a secure enclave or a hardware security module (hsm). These are specialized hardware components built into your device that provide a protected environment for sensitive operations, like storing and using cryptographic keys. They're designed to keep those keys safe from, like, malware and unauthorized peeps by isolating them from the main operating system. Even if your device's main software is compromised, the keys inside the secure enclave or hsm remain protected.

• When you go to log in to an app or website, your phone uses the passkey to prove it's really you. It'll probably ask you to confirm with your fingerprint, face, or pin. This is where biometrics come in, acting as the unlock mechanism for your private key.

• What's cool is that your biometric data never leaves your device. It's only used locally to unlock the passkey, which then does the fancy cryptographic dance to log you in.

Now, let's look at how biometrics really steps up the game for login security.

Security Advantages of Passkeys

Okay, so you know how you're constantly being told to make your passwords super complicated? Well, with passkeys, that kinda goes away – in a good way! It's like, finally, security that isn't a pain.

• Passkeys uses some seriously strong cryptography. Like, stuff that's way harder to crack than your average password.

• Your private key never leaves your device. It's not flying around the internet for hackers to snatch. That's a major win.

• And get this: multi-factor authentication (mfa) is basically built right in. Passkeys inherently combine two factors: something you have (your device) and something you are (your biometrics) or know (your PIN). This makes them a very strong authentication method, often fulfilling the requirements of a second factor in an mfa setup, or even acting as a single, robust authentication method depending on the implementation. No need to fumble with authenticator apps all the time.

So, think about it: stronger protection, less hassle. Sounds good, right? Next, we'll talk about how passkeys help prevent those annoying password reuse problems.

Implementing Passkeys in Mobile Apps

So, you're ready to ditch passwords and use passkeys in your app? Awesome, let's get into it. It's not as scary as it sounds, promise.

• First things first: You'll be using the WebAuthn api. This is a web standard that allows for secure, passwordless authentication. It provides a common interface for browsers and operating systems to interact with authenticators (like your phone's passkey functionality), making it the go-to for passkey integration. The cool thing is major browsers and mobile os's support it, so you're mostly covered.

• Next, there's the registration dance. Your app kicks things off, and the user get's prompted to create a passkey right on their device. Think of it like setting up face id or a fingerprint. The "public key" part of the passkey is then stored on your server, linked to that user's account.

  Pseudocode Example (Registration):

  // Client-side (App/Browser)
  async function registerPasskey(userId) {
    const publicKeyCredentialCreationOptions = await fetch('/create-passkey-options', {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
      body: JSON.stringify({ userId })
    }).then(res => res.json());
  
    const newCredential = await navigator.credentials.create({
      publicKey: publicKeyCredentialCreationOptions
    });
  
    await fetch('/register-passkey', {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
      body: JSON.stringify({ userId, credential: newCredential })
    });
  }
  

• Finally, the authentication process. when someone wants to login, your app asks for authentication. the user uses their passkey (fingerprint, face, whatever), and the device signs the request. Your server verifies it, and boom–they're in!

  Pseudocode Example (Authentication):

  // Client-side (App/Browser)
  async function loginWithPasskey(userId) {
    const publicKeyCredentialRequestOptions = await fetch('/get-login-options', {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
      body: JSON.stringify({ userId })
    }).then(res => res.json());
  
    const assertion = await navigator.credentials.get({
      publicKey: publicKeyCredentialRequestOptions
    });
  
    await fetch('/authenticate-passkey', {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
      body: JSON.stringify({ userId, assertion })
    });
  }
  

Need a hand making logins smooth? Consider using MojoAuth – Quickly integrate passwordless authentication for web and mobile applications to give users a smooth, secure login experience. Visit http://mojoauth.com for more information.

With the technical side covered, let's think about how this whole thing actually feels from the user's perspective.

The Future of Authentication

Okay, so passkeys are almost here, right? It's not just hype; this is really happening. So what can we expect?

• Widespread adoption is comin'. Major tech players like Google, Apple, and Microsoft are all backing passkeys, and organizations like the FIDO Alliance are driving standardization. Expect more websites and apps to jump on the bandwagon, making it easier to use passkeys everywhere.

• Logging in? It'll be way less of a headache. No more password resets every other week. You'll just use your fingerprint or face to log in, seamlessly.

• It's gonna be faster too! Think about using face id, but for everything. This streamlined experience will make online interactions much smoother.

The transition from technical implementation to the future outlook is a big leap, but it's exciting to see where this is all headed. Passkeys represent a significant shift towards a more secure and user-friendly digital world.

*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from MojoAuth - Advanced Authentication & Identity Solutions authored by MojoAuth - Advanced Authentication & Identity Solutions. Read the original post at: https://mojoauth.com/blog/what-is-a-passkey-for-mobile-devices