Using a physical key requires connecting it to your device after you enter your password to prove that it’s really you logging in, and the request for the physical key can only come from the actual site that you originally registered it with.įor desktop and laptop computers this is most commonly done by plugging the key into a USB port, however until recently iPhone and iPad users have had to rely on Bluetooth keys with apps specially designed to interface with them, such as Google’s own Smart Lock iOS app. Physical security keys are USB, Bluetooth, or NFC devices that you carry around with you, usually on your keychain, that provide an additional level of security that makes it extremely difficult for hackers to access your account, and also has the even more important advantage of preventing phishing attacks. ![]() ![]() Google has actually long led the way on two-factor authentication, however, being one of the first major companies to adopt the use of physical security keys several years ago in Chrome, and helping to drive it forward as an open standard for other browsers - an initiative that helped support for it finally arrive in Safari with this year’s release of macOS Catalina and iOS 13. We’ve long touted the benefits of two-factor authentication, which is one of the best ways to secure your important online accounts against hackers, and while iPhone users already benefit from built-in two-factor authentication for their Apple ID, it can often be more complicated to set up for other online accounts, which usually require things like one-time password generating apps or SMS messages - an older method that’s falling out of favour due to the higher risk of “SIM-jacking” attacks that allow SMS passwords to be intercepted by hackers.
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