FIDO updates UX and standards for biometric authentication

The FIDO Alliance has announced a set of user experience guidelines and new FIDO2 standards enhancements which will address enterprises’ unique authentication and device management needs with privacy-enhancing sign techniques like biometrics.

An increase in remote working, and phishing attacks is driving companies’ digital transformations. All major browsers and operating systems now support FIDO authentication, which allows users to leverage the same technology used to unlock a device (e.g fingerprint or face biometrics) to sign-in to web services.

The new UX guidelines provide best practice recommendations for service providers setting up log-ins with FIDO Authentication for customers on desktop computers. Further use cases will be addressed in future UX guidelines.

The new UX guidelines were created to form a set of best practices following consumer research in collaboration with Alliance member companies including Bank of America, eBay, Facebook, Google, IBM, Intuit, JP Morgan Chase Bank, Microsoft, Trusona, Visa and Wells Fargo.

Enhancements to FIDO2 specifications include several new features intended to ease passwordless enterprise deployments and other complex security applications.

Enterprise attestation enables secure binding between an authenticator and an account. It also assists with usage tracking and other management functions like credential and PIN management, and biometrics enrollment. Cross origin iFrames and Apple attestation support has also been added.

“Eliminating the reliance on passwords is now a major objective for everyone offering online services — both to provide a more seamless yet secure access to consumer services, as well as to address the growing threat from sophisticated attacks targeting distributed workforces and systems. Our first UX guidelines and FIDO2 enhancements give consumers and enterprises the tools, protection and roadmap to a simpler, more secure, passwordless future,” says Andrew Shikiar, executive director and CMO of the FIDO Alliance.

The FIDO Alliance was formed back in 2012 to address the lack of interoperability among strong authentication technologies, and remedy the problems users face with creating and remembering multiple usernames and passwords. In 2018 the Alliance launched a Biometric Component Certification Program, through which accredited independent third-party laboratories can certify that biometric subcomponents meet internationally recognized performance standards. The alliance also certified over 688 products in 2019 and most recently, Keyless.

Article Topics

access management  |  authentication  |  biometrics  |  consumer adoption  |  cybersecurity  |  digital identity  |  enterprise  |  FIDO Alliance  |  online authentication  |  standards