Yubico is releasing a tool intended to make hardware-backed passkeys easier to use on Android, following a Google Play Services update that lets Android devices authenticate with NFC-enabled FIDO2 security keys.
Google’s update enables account authentication through NFC security keys that support the CTAP2 standard on Android 9 and later, giving Android users broader access to phishing-resistant hardware authentication, including with YubiKeys. To go with it, Yubico announced general availability of YubiKey Passkey Enabler, an Android credential provider built on the Android Credential Manager Provider API and Yubico’s YubiKit software kit, which walks users through registering and authenticating with a YubiKey over USB or NFC.
The company is aiming the tool at enterprises managing fleets of Android devices. IT teams can deploy and configure Passkey Enabler centrally through mobile device management software, setting up a consistent authentication workflow without asking each employee to configure it. The provider enforces FIDO2 and CTAP2, accepts browser requests only from trusted browsers whose origin matches the relying party, and uses Digital Asset Links to confirm that a calling Android app is authorised before any cryptographic signing takes place.
Hardware security keys already anchor some large passwordless deployments; T-Mobile rolled out 200,000 YubiKeys across its workforce, and the broader industry has been steering users away from passwords, with Microsoft making passwordless authentication the default for new accounts. “Passkeys are one of the most important shifts in digital identity, but security only works when people can actually use them,” said Geoff Schomburgk, Vice President, Asia Pacific and Japan, at Yubico.
YubiKey Passkey Enabler is available now for Android users and enterprise deployments, and supports current YubiKeys including the 5 Series, Security Key Series, and Bio Series.
Sources: iTWire
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
