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How to join the awesome password-free future and use passkeys

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No More Passwords
Passkeys are here, and I’m here to tell you they’re awesome.
Image: Santeri Viinamäki/Wikimedia Commons, D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

Managing passwords is and always has been a giant pain. It isn’t the best system, but it’s the system we’ve got. Well, not if Apple can do anything about it. Passkeys are a new system that automatically signs you in to online services using your phone’s Face ID (or Touch ID) or your computer’s password. It’s one less thing to remember; it works without fiddling around with a password manager.

Passkeys aren’t an Apple-exclusive feature. You can bet the technology will be supported no matter what devices you have because all of these companies are part of the FIDO Alliance that created the system … eventually.

Apple fully supports it in iOS 16 and Safari 16 for Mac, as does Google’s Chrome browser on multiple platforms. Android 9 and above supports passkeys via Credential Manager, and Google just this week added passkey support to user accounts on “all major platforms.” (Microsoft won’t add it to Windows until later this year. Until every platform supports passkeys, you can still use your passwords to sign in.)

Follow along as I show you how passkeys work.

Google moves away from passwords, implements biometric passkeys instead

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Google moves away from passwords, implements biometric passkeys instead
You don't need to remember a password to sign into Google accounts.
Image: Google

In a move it calls “the beginning of the end of the password,” Google began rolling out passkeys for its accounts Wednesday. The move means that users of Apple devices can sign into these accounts using Face ID or Touch ID rather than a password.

The underlying tech already comes built into iPhone, Mac, etc.

Why you can trust Dashlane password management: Never breached, always secure

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Dashlane's best-in-class digital-security tools service more than 15 million people and over 20,000 organizations.
Dashlane's best-in-class tools ensure the security of more than 15 million people and 20,000 organizations.
Photo: Dashlane

These days, with data breaches on the rise, even companies whose job is to keep you secure online are suffering data disasters. But not security-first password manager Dashlane. It has never been breached. Not every password management company can say that.

SPONSORED
This post is brought to you by Dashlane.
You can stay safe wherever you go online with 24/7 password protection from Dashlane. This secure password manager works on Mac, iOS and iPadOS, as well as in Safari, Chrome and Firefox web browsers. (It also works on Windows and Android.)
Read more about Dashlane’s benefits and plans below, and find out how you can take advantage of a special 50% discount for Cult of Mac readers.

Stop using these stupid, stupid passwords immediately

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Stop using these stupid, stupid passwords immediately
"Another fool who used 'password.' Time to harvest some credit card numbers."
Photo: Nikita Belokhonov/Pexels

Some people simply can’t stop using stupid, weak passwords. An analysis of the phrases used to secure various accounts in 2022 finds that “password” was used 4.9 million times, making it the most popular. And the rest of the top 10 are all easily guessed, too.

Also, using “tinder” as your Tinder password isn’t nearly as clever as you think it is. Many thousands of other people had the same idea.

Apple’s new biometric Passkeys may kill passwords for good

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Apple's new Passkey system on a MacBook
Apple's Passkeys promise to kill passwords forever.
Photo: Apple
WWDC22 - Brought to you by CleanMyMac X

If passwords are the bane of your life, Apple’s got some good news. The company just introduced Passkeys, a new biometric system that can’t be phished, stolen or compromised.

“We’ve helped create a next-generation credential that’s more secure, easier to use and aims to replace passwords for good,” said Darin Adler, VP internet Technologies, during Monday’s WWDC22 keynote.

How to find and fix passwords that hackers have stolen

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How to find and update passwords that hackers already have
If hackers steal the passwords you use to log into websites, your Apple device can warn you and help you change them.
Photo: Cult of Mac

There’s a good chance that some company’s lax security has already let hackers steal the password you use for their website. And it could have happened with a bunch of them. Fortunately, your Apple devices make it easy to find out which of your passwords have leaked out so you can change them.

It’s World Password Day. Take this as an excuse to fix these problems now.

Apple, Google and Microsoft expand support for passwordless sign‑ins

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Face ID
You could soon be using Face ID to sign into more websites and applications.
Photo: Apple

Apple, Google and Microsoft committed themselves to expand support for a passwordless sign-in standard. The goal is to make it easier for websites and applications to offer consistent, secure and easy passwordless sign-ins.

It’s a move toward greater support for biometric security systems like the ones already included in iPhone, Mac and iPad.

Apple joins alliance dedicated to reducing world’s reliance on passwords

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Apple joins alliance dedicated to reducing world's reliance on passwords
This image quickly vanished from Twitter. But not the internet.
Photo: Roland Atoui/Twitter

Apple has signed up as a member to the FIDO Alliance, an organization whose mission is to develop and promote authentication standards for reducing the world’s reliance on passwords.

The news was made public in the form of a photo from a recent FIDO Alliance conference, describing Apple as a new member of the group. However, the tweet was rapidly deleted. Nonetheless, the FIDO website confirms that Apple is a board-level member.

Google adds enhanced privacy tools to Maps and YouTube

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Google Maps and YouTube privacy tools
It's getting easier to not be tracked in Maps. And YouTube is getting a timed history auto-delete.
Photo: Google

Google just promised that Incognito mode will soon be added to Maps. And YouTube is getting timed auto-delete for the user’s video history. In addition, a new Password Checkup tool helps users avoid common passcodes.

This advertising company has been making similar changes to its other services in hopes of shaking a reputation for privacy invasion.

iOS 13 bug exposes all your saved passwords

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holding iPhone with
There's a bug in the latest version of iOS 13's beta.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Users have discovered a bug in the iOS 13 beta which makes it easy for people to access the “Website & App Passwords” data in Settings.

The security flaw makes it simple to bypass the biometric authentication section in Settings when accessing your iCloud Keychain passwords.