Kiss Your Passwords Goodbye As Google Shifts To More Secure Passkeys

Trying to remember passwords or deal with a password manager may be daunting for some people, so finding an equally secure means for signing into an account without compromising security principles is huge. Enter passkeys: a means by which users can use biometrics or a PIN (something you are or something you know) to confirm themselves and sign into a platform. This is great because this system effectively prevents or significantly reduces the chances of someone being phished for their credentials.

Given how valuable this is, Google is now setting passkeys as the default way for people to sign into Google. Further, the next time someone signs into their Google account, they will see a prompt to create and use passkeys instead of passwords and a “Skip password when possible” toggle option in settings. Of course, this is only realistically the beginning of passkeys, and there is a lot more work and adoption of the system before it becomes as prolific as Google hopes. However, it is thankfully not Google alone in this endeavor, as Microsoft and Apple have joined the push for going passwordless and moving toward FIDO logins.

Hopefully, Google's passkey push will make everyone safer and more secure, but just like self-driving vehicles, it will take some time to get to that point. Until then, there might be some growing pains, but they will ultimately be worthwhile in the end.