Access keys, or access keys, are the future of authentication, a future that big tech companies like Google, Apple, and Microsoft, among others, have been working on for a long time to end an element that has historically been key to protecting access, but for years it has shown to be inadequate in many circumstances. i mean of course passwords and the numerous risks that are usually associated with them.

In case you don’t know what they consist of, An access key is a digital credential linked to a user account and a website or application.. Access keys allow users to authenticate themselves without having to enter a username, password, or other information. In this way, when the user does not have to enter his credentials, a number of risks that are usually associated with these processes, from choosing weak passwords to phishing attacks, are eliminated.

The access key works as follows: when an app or website asks you to register or identify yourself, your device allows you to create an access key for that website or app, a process in which you will need to identify yourself using your fingerprint, face or PIN. This passkey is stored securely in Password Manager and is synchronized with the rest of the devices associated with your account. Later, when you want to log in, just select the passkey and activate it with a biometric method or PIN, whichever you chose.

As I mentioned earlier, Google is one of the tech companies most committed to the development of access keys, and the latest example of this is that Today they started deploying the passkey to access Google Accounts, as we can read on the company’s blog. For users who want to try it out, the access to configure the passkey on the device is done through g.co/passkey, the website that we will be able to access from the device we want to use it on. Configuring a new passkey is fairly simple, and the process displays the necessary instructions to complete each step.

In terms of compatibility, Google’s passkey implementation is compatible with Windows 10, macOS Ventura and ChromeOS 109 or higher, and as for browsers, we can use it with Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge 109, Safari 16 and of course newer versions. And for those who want a higher level of security using a dongle to protect their access, it will be essential that it is compatible with FIDO2.

Access key implementation does not mean the disappearance of passwords and 2FA means of accreditation in the short term. But if we take a longer-term view, it’s clear that big tech wants to do away with the password as an authentication system. So we can hold off on using this system for now if we want, but it’s a reminder that in the medium and especially the long term, we’ll eventually have to take this step whether we like it or not. or not.