With the addition of passkeys, Microsoft Edge now has a more secure login for services using fingerprint, facial recognition or PIN. — Photo: Zacharie Scheurer/dpa
BERLIN: Microsoft is introducing passkeys for its Edge browser, saying Edge on Windows will let users store passkeys for passwordless sign-ins and synchronise them across multiple Windows devices.
The new feature, integrated into the browser’s password manager, will be rolled out gradually in Edge version 142 on Windows. A Microsoft account (MSA) is required.
In the longer term, the feature is also planned for other operating systems where Edge is available, such as macOS, Linux, Android and iOS.
Passkeys enable passwordless sign-in using a cryptographic key pair. The approach is considered particularly secure because passkeys cannot be easily intercepted, stolen or guessed. They also cannot be forgotten or be too weak, as they are generated automatically.
Using them is simpler than traditional passwords, as the website or service requests a cryptographic key stored on the user’s device.
Instead of remembering a different password for each service, the user then approves the request via fingerprint, facial recognition or PIN. The private key is matched with its public counterpart held by the service.
Passkeys can be stored on a security USB stick (with FIDO2 support), on an operating system such as Android, iOS/MacOS or Windows, or in compatible third-party password managers such as Bitwarden or KeePassXC.
Passwords already stored in password manager programs remain unaffected by passkeys and can continue to be used as usual. – dpa
