FIDO-Based Authentication to Replace SMS-Based Verification, Says UK NCSC

The U.K. government is set to replace SMS-based verification systems for digital services with passkeys this year in a bid to shore up cyber defenses.

The initiative will be rolled out by the U.K. National Cybersecurity Center using the open authentication standard Fast IDentity Online, or FIDO, as a more “secure and cost-effective solution.”

“The NCSC considers passkey adoption as vital for transforming cyber resilience at a national scale,” the NCSC said. “In addition to enhanced security and cost savings, passkeys offer users a faster login experience, saving approximately one minute per login when compared to entering a username, password and SMS code,” the agency said.


More

Tech Times: Visa Payment Passkey Goes Live at Five India State Banks: OTP Attack Surface Eliminated

India’s five-decade-old authentication habit — waiting for a six-digit code on a phone — got…

Read More →

FinTech Futures: Sibos 2026: Digital finance in an AI-driven economy – when the agent does the buying, who owns the customer?

By shaping the standards of identity, control, and compliance today, financial institutions can ensure they…

Read More →

Payments Dive: FIDO wrestles with agentic trust

The industry consortium and payments players are considering standards for agentic commerce, particularly for verifying…

Read More →


Subscribe to the FIDO newsletter

Stay Connected, Stay Engaged

Receive the latest news, events, research and implementation guidance from the FIDO Alliance. Learn about digital identity and fast, phishing-resistant authentication with passkeys.