On World Password Day, industry players lean into passkeys, biometrics

Subscription-based password manager and digital wallet app maker Dashlane is joining the pushback on passwords, announcing a forthcoming feature to enable people to log into accounts using device-based security, including optional biometrics.

Dashlane’s product strategy has thus far centered on “the only password you need” — a so-called master password for logging in to its manager app. But the writing on the wall, says a post on Dashlane’s blog, suggests that passwords may soon be rubbed out.

“Momentum is building in the passwordless space,” write the authors of the post. A passwordless login will debut later this year, they say.

The company says its new software will enable logging in via a PIN or face biometrics, which will eliminate the problem of stolen logins and phishing attacks, citing a 2022 Verizon report that listed those two issues as the top attack methods for fraud.

Don’t call it a passkey

Dashlane’s system sounds a lot like passkey protection, the passwordless standard promoted by the FIDO Alliance that is an option for logging into Google accounts. But it is not quite that, yet.

Dashlane was an early industry proponent of passkeys, and its app has the capacity to store them. But the company’s CEO told The Verge that the app is not ready for passkeys.

However, with the company recently joining the FIDO Alliance board and pledging additional in-app support for passkeys, it seems likely to move in that direction.

More consumer data shows passwordless preference

A report released today by LoginRadius showed passwordless authentication to be the authentication method with the highest return rate.

The customer identity and access management (CIAM) firm analyzed more than a billion digital identities in 2022, to arrive at the results published in its annual Consumer Digital Identity Trend Report.

This aligns with research the FIDO Alliance released to mark World Password Day, which found there to be a preference for biometrics and strong interest in passkey authentication among U.S. consumers.

Article Topics

biometric authentication  |  biometrics  |  Dashlane  |  LoginRadius  |  passkeys  |  passwordless authentication