Apple, Google, Microsoft to expand support for passwordless sign-in standard

SAN FRANCISCO, May 5 (Xinhua) -- In a joint effort to make the web more secure and usable for all, Apple, Google and Microsoft on Thursday announced plans to expand support for a common passwordless sign-in standard created by the FIDO Alliance and the World Wide Web Consortium.

The new capability will allow websites and apps to offer consistent, secure, and easy passwordless sign-ins to consumers across devices and platforms, the announcement said.

The expanded standards-based capabilities will give websites and apps the ability to offer an end-to-end passwordless option. Users will sign in through the same action that they take multiple times each day to unlock their devices, such as a simple verification of their fingerprint or face, or a device PIN, according to the announcement.

This new approach protects against phishing and sign-in will be radically more secure when compared to passwords and legacy multi-factor technologies such as one-time passcodes sent over SMS, it added.

"Working with the industry to establish new, more secure sign-in methods that offer better protection and eliminate the vulnerabilities of passwords is central to our commitment to building products that offer maximum security and a transparent user experience - all with the goal of keeping users' personal information safe," said Kurt Knight, Apple's Senior Director of Platform Product Marketing.

"This milestone is a testament to the collaborative work being done across the industry to increase protection and eliminate outdated password-based authentication," said Mark Risher, Senior Director of Product Management at Google. "We look forward to making FIDO-based technology available across Chrome, ChromeOS, Android and other platforms, and encourage app and website developers to adopt it."

"Any viable solution must be safer, easier, and faster than the passwords and legacy multi-factor authentication methods used today," said Alex Simons, Corporate Vice President of Identity Program Management at Microsoft. "We see a bright future for FIDO-based credentials in both consumer and enterprise scenarios and will continue to build support across Microsoft apps and services."