Nordsec, PayPal move forward with passkey and passwordless authentication products

Vendors, in this case Nordsec and PayPal, continue to throw rocks in the form of new software at the scourge of passwords. Whether they will move the needle in terms of obviating passwords is unknown.

Nordsec has added its patented two-factor authentication software to its password manager NordPass. Putting the authenticator in NordPass eliminates the need for NordPass owners (corporate accounts only for now) to download an authenticator.

Cutting this step, something that sometimes arises while someone is trying to order a product or access a service, is a notable step forward in the war to fight fraud without tripping the end user.

Those end users are at least as likely to use NordPass’ authenticator as any other because it is coming from a company they already trust enough to use.

That is good for Nordsec two similar ways. First, of course, it is a good bet that it will draw customers and increase their loyalty to NordPass.

Second, it presumably adds value to its NordVPN service, which benefits whenever the company shows it is a coherent set of interoperable software designed to make life online safer and less effort. NordVPN is made by Nord Security, which is owned by Nordsec.

It plans a new feature, due before 2024: passwordless sign-in to NordPass.

It is patented, but the authenticator is not unique in how it works. NordPass creates one-time, timed passwords. Biometrics can be saved and used for accessing NordPass, too, according to technology trade publication TechRadar.

There are a couple of passkey announcements, as well, one of which also involves Nordsec’s NordPass.

The company is pushing a way to securely store and manage passkeys. Nordsec’s newest management software is called Passkeys, and is on the NordPass desktop app, web vault and Firefox and Chrome extensions.

Those cryptographically pairs snatches of software are of interest to PayPal, too.

Already integrated with iOS, PayPal has added passkey compatibility with Google Android 9+ on Android mobile web for faster sign-ins. PayPal is a founding member of the FIDO Alliance.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  NordPass  |  passkeys  |  passwordless authentication  |  passwords  |  Paypal