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Yubico's new fingerprint security key can keep you from getting hacked — and I just tried it

Yubico's new fingerprint security primal tin can keep you lot from getting hacked — and I just tried it

A Yubico YubiKey Bio with a fingerprint reader plugged into an Apple MacBook.
(Epitome credit: Yubico)

Yubico this calendar week introduced its latest — and nigh expensive — hardware security key, the company's first key to comprise biometric hallmark in the form of a fingerprint reader.

The YubiKey Bio comes in USB-A ($eighty) and USB-C ($85) configurations for optimal compatibility with your favorite port flavour. Information technology supports the open FIDO U2F and FIDO2/WebAuthn standards, both of which are widely used.

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Hardware security keys provide the best "2d factor" in two-factor authentication (2FA), which itself is the well-nigh effective way to protect your online accounts. The virtually mutual 2d factor, a one-time code transmitted via text message, is convenient and easy to implement only can also be hacked in a number of different ways.

By contrast, a hardware security key is something y'all physically have and isn't used for whatever other purpose. Google requires them for its employee accounts and say it hasn't had a successful account takeover since it deployed them.

What the YubiKey Bio can and can't do

Yubico told united states that the YubiKey Bio is primarily targeted at enterprise desktop users who desire biometric security. That may explain the adequately high price, which is a good $20 higher than rival biometric keys made past Chinese security-key maker Feitian. Despite that, Yubico told us that current stock of the USB-C model of the YubiKey Bio has already sold out.

Withal, the Bio'due south utility is a fleck express compared to that of the YubiKey 5 series. The YubiKey Bio does not support many of the v serial' functions, including several 1-time-countersign and smart-carte du jour formats. Many services that require YubiKey 5, such as Instagram, LastPass and Twitch, won't work with YubiKey Bio.

Yubico representatives told me this is because FIDO and FIDO2 support biometric hallmark while the other formats practise not.

Smartphones won't piece of work with the YubiKey Bio either, despite the USB-C choice. Neither Android nor iOS supports the FIDO Client to Authenticator Protocol (CTAP) version 2.1 that the keys use. There'southward also no NFC chip on the YubiKey Bio to wirelessly interact with phones.

Functionally, the YubiKey Bio is like to the $25 Security Primal by Yubico, a bones security fundamental with a USB-A plug that supports only FIDO U2F and FIDO2/WebAuthn but also has NFC.

Piece of cake to gear up upwards and use

We had no problem setting upward either the USB-A or USB-C models with our Windows ten PC and and then enrolling each one with a Google account.

Yubico says the YubiKey Bio also works with Microsoft (Office) 365 and other Microsoft accounts, Coinbase, eBay, Electronic Arts, Facebook, GitHub, Twitter, Yahoo and YouTube. Like other hardware security keys, the YubiKey Bio tin can supervene upon your password for Microsoft accounts.

Among password managers, the consumer-security sector that has the virtually support for ii-gene authentication, the YubiKey Bio is supported past Bitwarden, Dashlane, Keeper and 1Password (paid versions only). Browsers that support YubiKey Bio include Brave, Chrome, Border, Opera and Safari.

We were a bit surprised to find that we had to become through a Windows setup process to enroll our fingerprints earlier nosotros could begin the Yubico part of the process.

Had nosotros read the printing release a bit more closely, we'd have seen that "the new security keys integrate with the native biometric enrollment and direction features supported in the latest platforms and operating systems."

A Yubico YubiKey Bio with a USB-A plug connected to a Windows laptop next to a YubiKey Bio with a USB-C plug connected to an Apple MacBook.

(Image credit: Yubico)

On Mac, Linux and Chrome OS, y'all tin can set upwards the YubiKey Bio using Chrome or another Chromium-based browser like Brave or Microsoft Edge. (Once it's set on Chrome, y'all can use it with Safari to log into accounts.)

You can also fix up the YubiKey Bio to piece of work with the desktop versions of the Yubico Authenticator software on Windows, Mac and Linux.

Officially, the YubiKey Bio supports Windows 10 (build 1903 or subsequently) or eleven; macOS 10.fifteen Catalina and 11 Big Sur; Ubuntu Linux 18.04 or later; and Chrome Bone 93 or later.

Yous tin can enroll up to 5 fingerprints on each YubiKey Bio key, and information technology's also possible to factory-reset the key and start over.

You might demand more than than 1

Every bit Yubico recommends (and every bit we recommend for all hardware security keys), yous'll desire to have one or ii backup keys in example you lose the primary one. They don't all demand to exist able to read your fingerprints; we would just get a couple of Security Keys by Yubico for $25 each.

Paul Wagenseil is a senior editor at Tom'southward Guide focused on security and privacy. He has besides been a dishwasher, fry melt, long-haul driver, lawmaking monkey and video editor. He's been rooting around in the information-security space for more than than 15 years at FoxNews.com, SecurityNewsDaily, TechNewsDaily and Tom'south Guide, has presented talks at the ShmooCon, DerbyCon and BSides Las Vegas hacker conferences, shown up in random Television set news spots and even moderated a panel discussion at the CEDIA home-engineering conference. You can follow his rants on Twitter at @snd_wagenseil.

Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/news/yubikey-bio

Posted by: pontonthereaming.blogspot.com

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