The IT and cybersecurity communities have been urging enterprises to move away from passwords, or at the very least, adopt multi-factor authentication. One great way to do both is by deploying security keys.
Yubico, one of the leaders in the hardware authentication security key space, is now taking its product a step further by adding support for biometric authentication with fingerprint recognition for passwordless or second factor logins.
According to Yubico, the YubiKey Bio Series supports modern FIDO2/WebAuthn and U2F protocols in both USB-A and USB-C form factors and are designed for biometric authentication of desktops. The keys don’t require any batteries, drivers or associated software and they integrate with the native biometric enrollment and management features supported in the latest platforms and operating systems.
The company says the YubiKey Bio Series is built on a three-chip architecture that allows the biometric fingerprint material to be stored in a separate secure element which delivers enhanced protection from physical attacks. Users can authenticate with the same key across multiple devices, operating systems and applications.
According to Yubico, the YubiKey Bio enables biometric login on desktop with all applications and services that support FIDO protocols and works out-of-the-box with Citrix Workspace, Duo, GitHub, IBM Security Verify, Microsoft Azure Active Directory and Microsoft 365, Okta and Ping Identity.
The keys work across desktop platforms supporting WebAuthn, including Windows, macOS, Chrome OS and Linux. It also works across Chromium-based browsers like Chrome and Edge. The biometric keys also allow for use of a security key PIN when biometrics cannot be used.
“With the launch of the YubiKey Bio Series, we are proud to raise the standard for biometric security keys, enabling simple and strong passwordless authentication for our enterprise customers and everyday YubiKey users,” said Stina Ehrensvärd, CEO and co-founder of Yubico, in a statement.
The USB-A can be purchased for $80, and the USB-C for $85. The company offers an enterprise-level subscription service where customers can upgrade to the new keys.
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