WebAuthn was approved yesterday by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). It is a new authentication standard that has the goal to replace the use of passwords when it comes to securing the online accounts we use every day.
What Is WebAuthn And How Can We Use It?
WebAuthn (which stands for Web Authentication) has been announced last year for the first time, and most popular browsers also support it. For example, Safari, Chrome, Edge, and Firefox are all supporters of WebAuthn. More individual websites would adopt this type of authentification as its publication as an official web standard will pave its way.
WebAuthn is an API at its core, and to allow a user to log into the service some websites provide, they will communicate using a security device to give access to the user. This security device also comes in more variants such as the more complex one, a biometric device that allows for an additional level of verification or a simple one, a FIDO security key that you directly plug into a USB port on your computer.
We Would No Longer Need Passwords In The Future Thanks To WebAuthn
However, it is essential to keep in mind that the weak passwords some people end up using for most websites are not even 2% as secured as WebAuthn. And, another advantage that the WebAuthn provides is that you no longer need to remember a password or lose your account in case you forget it.
The next step for websites, after the W3C has approved the new standard, is to integrate it. Last year, Dropbox was the first to do so, but soon after Microsoft followed.
However, passwords are still being used by people, but after the announcement made yesterday, more companies will hear about the WebAuthn and give it a try themselves.
As a passionate gamer since the 1990s, Vadim has kept his passion alive since then, and he is here to cover video games news, as well as to share with you all the novelties out there regarding gadgets or games-related tech.
