So now Android password is going to be something of the past, just like how we discarded the floppy disk.
Google’s and the Fast Identity Online Alliance confirmed on Monday that Android is now FIDO2-certified. The certification was unveiled at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. This means that devices can use fingerprints and security keys for logging in to accounts instead of passwords.
Android 7 and up will have this provision, which means it accounts for half of all Android users. Nothing is needed for the billion Android devices to get the added security. It’ll be available out of the box or with an automatic Google Play Services update, the FIDO Alliance said.
Only a handful of apps on Android had this feature of fingerprints or security keys as passwords, primarily for banking and other financial services. Now this means that latest security features to any Android developer, allowing for password-less logins on the operating system’s mobile browser and apps.
Your passwords are the most common method to prove your identity in your digital lives, it allows access to accounts managing your finances, your social life and more. The problem is, that they are not secure, because hackers are smart and are ahead of you. They can easily crack your password, so the next thing you know is that your credentials and data are stolen and sold. If you are using the same password for multiple accounts, it makes it even easier for the criminals to feast on.
Technology has gone beyond human imagination, and the same applies to criminals when they use the same technology to crack passwords. It is now easy to guess a complicated password within a matter of hours by entering every possible combination.
Maybe that is why we see the urgency why security industry insists on implementing tools like biometrics and security keys instead. As of now fingerprints and security keys are not easy to crack and makes it hard for criminals to steal online, and with the FIDO2 standard, they’re protected against phishing attacks.
Brett McDowell, executive director of the FIDO Alliance, “With this news from Google, the number of users with FIDO Authentication capabilities has grown dramatically and decisively. Together with the leading web browsers that are already FIDO2 compliant, now is the time for website developers to free their users from the risk and hassle of passwords and integrate FIDO Authentication today.”