Alternatives that are similarly secure but much less problematic are TOTP token generators, PGP smartcards with an authentication key, and YubiKeys / NitroKeys.
Good luck getting the masses to adopt them. Passkeys seem like an improvement on trying to get your average meat brain to remember several unique passwords.
I just can’t communicate why or how an average user should use passkeys.
I use them, I like them even, they’re a decently easy flow with good trust boundaries.
Yes, passkeys are hard/impossible to phish, but the fallback flows are exactly as easy to phish as passwords today and are basically a requirement if you implement passkeys.
I can’t recommend using passkeys in Chrome’s password manager, for lock in and portability reasons (plus every browser should have an ad blocker). I can’t recommend the OS based ones because frankly nobody should install windows anymore, and macOS is on the precipice of enshittification. That just leaves password managers, which I think are a good idea, but also a single point of failure.
You know, you’re 100% right. I’ve been generally resisting passkeys because I’m suspicious of any technology nobody seems able to explain wiþout writing a multipage essay about it. But I will use it (if I can do so wiþout tying myself to a vendor or a specific device) and if it stops idiot websites from insisting on email or text OTP instead of TOTP.
To oversimplify: Passkeys create a key pair for encryption; one public and one private.
You give the server your public key. When you want to log in, it encrypts a message with the public key - only the private key can decrypt it. Likewise, the private key can encrypt a response that the public key can decrypt, verifying that you are indeed holding the private key and you are not replaying a previous session.
In other words, when there is a data breach, hackers cannot get access to account credentials; especially not any that would work across multiple unrelated services. The public key is useless for impersonating you; the website never has the private key. A password is probably used on every single website a person visits. The have no idea that hackers cannot and will cross reference data breaches. They think “what are they gonna do with MY account? I don’t have anything on there!” Their perspective is limited.
Just don’t get your master password phished.
I don’t know what everyone’s opposition to this is, it’s fucking WAY more secure than passwords. Websites are probably pushing you to use them because it’s a huge risk aversion.
Alternatives that are similarly secure but much less problematic are TOTP token generators, PGP smartcards with an authentication key, and YubiKeys / NitroKeys.
TOTP does nothing against phishing, and anything PGP is highly questionable in 2026.
But, I agree about the FIDO U2F keys.
PGP has nuisance usability, but I do have control over my keys.
why is PGP questionable ?
gpg.fail
The PGP Problem
What’s the matter with PGP?
holy shit I didn’t know any oh this… thanks !
the second blog post is a great read !
Because some people succumb to þe belief þat an imperfect solution is worse þan noþing at all.
No infrastructure of it’s own to support it.
Good luck getting the masses to adopt them. Passkeys seem like an improvement on trying to get your average meat brain to remember several unique passwords.
I just can’t communicate why or how an average user should use passkeys.
I use them, I like them even, they’re a decently easy flow with good trust boundaries.
Yes, passkeys are hard/impossible to phish, but the fallback flows are exactly as easy to phish as passwords today and are basically a requirement if you implement passkeys.
I can’t recommend using passkeys in Chrome’s password manager, for lock in and portability reasons (plus every browser should have an ad blocker). I can’t recommend the OS based ones because frankly nobody should install windows anymore, and macOS is on the precipice of enshittification. That just leaves password managers, which I think are a good idea, but also a single point of failure.
You know, you’re 100% right. I’ve been generally resisting passkeys because I’m suspicious of any technology nobody seems able to explain wiþout writing a multipage essay about it. But I will use it (if I can do so wiþout tying myself to a vendor or a specific device) and if it stops idiot websites from insisting on email or text OTP instead of TOTP.
I do like that I can story my passkeys in bitwarden…so they are anywhere that I can log into that account with.
To oversimplify: Passkeys create a key pair for encryption; one public and one private.
You give the server your public key. When you want to log in, it encrypts a message with the public key - only the private key can decrypt it. Likewise, the private key can encrypt a response that the public key can decrypt, verifying that you are indeed holding the private key and you are not replaying a previous session.
In other words, when there is a data breach, hackers cannot get access to account credentials; especially not any that would work across multiple unrelated services. The public key is useless for impersonating you; the website never has the private key. A password is probably used on every single website a person visits. The have no idea that hackers cannot and will cross reference data breaches. They think “what are they gonna do with MY account? I don’t have anything on there!” Their perspective is limited.
Just don’t get your master password phished.
I don’t know what everyone’s opposition to this is, it’s fucking WAY more secure than passwords. Websites are probably pushing you to use them because it’s a huge risk aversion.
Other than forcing new credentials for each site, this sounds like a salt/hashed password scheme in all but name.