At the FIDO Alliance’s Authenticate Conference, researchers announced two significant projects to advance passkeys as a secure alternative to traditional passwords. The first is the Credential Exchange Protocol (CXP), designed to enable the portability of passkeys across different digital ecosystems, addressing concerns over user lock-in. This initiative is backed by major players in the tech industry, including Apple, Google, and Microsoft, and aims to standardize secure transfer processes for passkeys and other sensitive data. A new resource website, Passkey Central, will provide developers with essential tools and documentation to implement passkeys effectively. According to Andrew Shikiar, CEO of the FIDO Alliance, the collaboration among competitors signifies a unified effort to reduce dependency on passwords, with growing adoption of passkeys across various platforms. Craig Newmark Philanthropies also supports these advancements, emphasizing the need for improved digital security against increasing threats.
Major companies, including 1Password and Dashlane, have already committed to supporting these new standards, which are open for public review before final adoption. Additionally, Amazon reported that over 175 million customers have activated passkeys for their accounts, highlighting the growing acceptance of this passwordless technology.
The move away from passwords has long been necessary, but one of the hurdles has been fear of vendor lock-in. With CXP, IT service providers and businesses can confidently invest in passkey infrastructure knowing that the risk of being tied to a single vendor is reduced. This paves the way for more scalable passwordless solutions. That’s why we care.