FIDO announces certified products to reduce password use on the web

Any website can leverage FIDO2 strong authentication protocols from the W3C and FIDO Alliance to replace passwords with cryptographically secure logins using alternatives like on-device biometrics and FIDO Security Keys. 

Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Mozilla Firefox browsers now support FIDO2, a big advancement since the standards were introduced in April 2018. Between this support and newly certified products supporting a wide variety of use cases, service providers have all of the tools needed to roll out FIDO Authentication for their websites and applications.

According to the official press release, FIDO Authentication has been proven to protect against the phishing and security risks associated with passwords, provide better user experiences over remembering and typing passwords, and lower authentication support costs.

The announcement also includes the first certified FIDO Universal Server, which a service provider can use to ensure compatibility with authenticators based on all FIDO specifications (FIDO UAF, FIDO U2F and FIDO2).

FIDO2 is comprised of the W3C’s Web Authentication specification and the corresponding Client to Authenticator Protocol (CTAP) from FIDO Alliance. Collectively, these standards enable users to leverage common devices to more easily authenticate to online services through mobile and desktop browsers.