Cybercrime
Better than passwords: “Passkeys” increase cybersecurity
The national IT situation center at the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) in Bonn. photo
© Oliver Berg/dpa
Passwords are often intercepted by cybercriminals on the Internet. There is an alternative that offers more security. But it is not very well known yet.
A federal authority recommends the use of so-called passkeys as an alternative to classic ones Passwords to avoid falling victim to internet fraudsters. “We have to make cybersecurity as simple as possible and robust at the same time,” said the President of the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), Claudia Plattner. “Passkeys are a perfect example of how technical solutions can be used to address technical challenges. The future belongs to them.”
Passkeys are randomly generated strings that are used to log into websites. They use biometric features such as fingerprints or facial scans – such as FaceID on the iPhone – and also protect against phishing attacks, which cybercriminals can use to discover passwords relatively easily.
A BSI survey was carried out in March and April in which 1,519 German citizens with a minimum age of 16 years were interviewed. This revealed gaps in knowledge: only one in three people knew the term passkey and around one in six people already used such a digital “master key”. The BSI recommends that online services make passkeys better known and promote them more.