Managing Passkeys: A Better Way To Secure Your Account: With the increase in cyberattacks from governments and online criminals, we’re more focused than ever on protecting people, businesses, and governments. By sharing our knowledge and continuously improving cybersecurity, we aim to create a safer world for everyone.
Passwords are crucial for online security, but threats like phishing are still on the rise. Google has long acknowledged these challenges and promotes using tools like 2-Step Verification (2SV), Google Password Manager, security keys, and now passkeys to enhance protection.
Passwords have been around for more than 60 years, but they are no longer enough to keep data safe for users and organizations. Phishing attacks are becoming more common and more advanced, exploiting weaknesses in passwords. For example:
– In 2021, 60% of data breaches were caused by stolen credentials or phishing.¹
– Phishing-related data breaches cost organizations an average of $4.91 million in 2022.²
– Phishing attacks increased in 2022, with 255 million attacks in just six months.³
2-step verification (2SV) or 2-factor authentication (2FA) helps with security, but it can be inconvenient for users and doesn’t fully protect against phishing or targeted attacks, like “SIM swaps” that affect SMS verification.
Solution:
By partnering with the FIDO Alliance, we introduced passkeys – a simpler and safer alternative to passwords that protect against phishing. Passkeys let you sign in using your fingerprint, face scan, or screen lock instead of a password.
Since early 2023, passkeys have been available for personal Google Accounts, over 9 million Google Workspace users, and third-party sites and apps on Chrome and Android.
The simplest and fastest way to sign in
There’s no need to remember or type passwords—just use your fingerprint, face scan, or screen lock to sign in on any device or platform.
Next-generation account security:
Passkeys offer the strongest protection against threats like phishing. Since they’re stored on your device, they can’t be guessed or reused, keeping your information safe from attackers.
Privacy that’s uniquely yours:
Your passkey stays private on your device and is never shared with Google or any third parties. You use your fingerprint, face scan, or screen lock to verify it’s you accessing your key.
How it works:
When you sign in, your private key and biometrics stay safe on your device and are never shared. To verify it’s you, you just unlock your device. The website checks if your public key matches the private key on your device. A passkey has two parts: a public key stored on the website’s server and a matching private key on your device.
Creating a Safer Ecosystem
We’re the first major cloud provider to bring passkeys to businesses, schools, and governments, improving security and ease of use. Partnering for password-free, safer sign-ins We’re working with brands to enable passkeys on Chrome and Android for easier, more secure sign-ins. Partners like 1Password, Adobe, PayPal, and Yahoo! Japan are already on board.
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