Fastmail now supports passkeys
Fastmail has launched a new feature allowing users to create passkeys for their accounts, promising a faster and more secure authentication method compared to traditional passwords. Passkeys address the inherent weaknesses of passwords by using cryptographic keys that offer several advantages over conventional methods.
Passwords, the standard for online authentication, present challenges such as the difficulty in creating secure passwords and vulnerability to phishing attacks. In contrast, passkeys operate on public key cryptography, where a private key creates a signature and a public key that the website can verify. This method provides security benefits like replay resistance, where each login attempt involves a unique challenge from the website, making passkeys resistant to interception. They are also leak-resistant since only the public key can be compromised without being used to forge a login, and they are phishing-proof as passkeys are inherently tied to the website they were created for.