The latest addition to the YubiKey range of hardware is the YubiKey Bio, announced at Microsoft Ignite this week. The device adds fingerprint authentication to the already high level security offered by previous versions of the Yubikey hardware.
Despite the key storing user fingerprints on the device itself, you don’t need to worry about running out of battery power – the new Yubikey doesn’t have any!
As the documentation explains, the key seamlessly integrates with the native biometric enrolment and management features supported in the latest versions of Windows 10 and Azure Active Directory, making it quick and convenient for users to adopt a phishing-resistant password-less login flow.
At Ausdroid, we regularly mention the high importance of good password habits, multi-factor authentication and the potential costs of account loss. The Australian Government’s Stay Smart Online program shows these costs for business to be huge at an average of $276,323. For an individual, it can cost them more than just financially, with identify theft becoming more prevalent.
My question to you now is not can you afford to invest in hardware based authentication keys like YubiKey… but can you afford not to?
If only was in a usb-c form so I can use it with my Pixel phone.