Passwords are a form of knowledge-based authentication. For a user to prove they are who they claim to be, they need a secret — the password — that has been previously stored by the service. Multifactor authentication (MFA) is a technique designed to strengthen the authentication process by adding possession-based authentication to knowledge-based authentication. A service can only authenticate a user when they prove they have knowledge of the shared secret in addition to something they have or are. Eliminating shared secrets removes the intrinsic weakness of password-based authentication and MFA. A secure form of possession-based authentication is the best alternative. Passwordless authentication based on FIDO standards is considered the archetype. FIDO passwordless authentication is based on public-key cryptography.
More FIDO in the News
CIO: How to protect your Google and Facebook accounts with a security key
This CIO story explains how FIDO Authentication is easier to use while providing stronger authentication…
Forbes: Cyber – The Threat Is Real
This Forbes article reports on how the FIDO Alliance focus on industry standards for two…
Cyberscoop: NIST urged to include multi-factor authentication in cyber framework
In this Cyberscoop article, FIDO Alliance Executive Director Brett McDowell and Jeremy Grant of the…
