Passage by 1Password, a new service from password manager 1Password, lets organizations add passkey authentication to their apps and websites without maintaining their security infrastructure.
1Password now offers customer identity access management. It’s also trendy. In September, Apple added passkey support to iOS, allowing iPhones to log into compatible websites and apps. In October, PayPal, Google, Shopify, Kayak, and DocuSign added iOS passkey support.
“Replacing passwords has been predicted since the early 2000s, but now all of the major platforms—Microsoft, Apple, Google, etc.—along with 1Password and others have joined the FIDO Alliance to make the passwordless vision a reality,” 1Password CEO Jeff Shiner told TechCrunch in an email interview. (The FIDO Alliance, the authentication industry body, defines passkey specifications.) “Passage by 1Password will enable developers and businesses to easily implement passkey logins into their products and services, driving adoption of this technology.”
As Shiner noted, passkeys, a biometric login method, are more secure than passwords. Passkeys can replace passwords and verification systems like two-factor authentication or SMS verification, protecting against hacking and phishing assaults since there’s no fixed login or communicated code, according to The Verge’s Jess Weatherbed.
They may be simpler than passwords. For example, the FIDO Alliance discovered that 58% of U.S. consumers have abandoned carts owing to password management issues, while 1Password indicated that 75% would consider utilizing passkeys instead of passwords.
Passage by 1Password includes Passkey Complete and Flex. Complete allows organizations to design passkey user experiences for iOS, Android, MacOS, and Windows. Flex lets clients gradually install passkey solutions while training their customer care staff and integrating them with their identity management systems.
Passkey Complete and Flex are free for 1,000 monthly active users. Companies utilize Passage without a 1Password subscription and pay per use.
After 1Password received $620 million in a Series C financing valued at $6.8 billion a year earlier, Shiner called Passage a “natural extension” and a path to expansion. According to Shiner, 1Password attributed its crowdfunding success to remote and hybrid working and the rising adoption of cloud apps, all of which fit the passkey trend.
“Password’s vision has always been to build a safer, simpler digital future for everyone and we do that by taking a human-centric approach to security so businesses, individuals, and developers can effortlessly safeguard their most private information,” Shiner said. “Passage by 1Password allows developers from various industries to integrate passkey login experiences into their projects with a few lines of code. We’re rolling out now, and hundreds of developers have signed up to test our solutions.”
Dashlane and 1Password, which provides a database of websites, apps, and services that support passkeys, have advocated for the tech on the consumer side. Starting June 6, 1Password users can save and manage passkeys and replace their master password with a passkey.
Shiner added, “Being able to remove the password entirely, and the friction that goes along with it, will quickly become a competitive advantage for those early adopters. “When there’s a security, business, and usability benefit that helps propel passkey adoption for a specific sector… We’re pleased to support and implement this win-win for businesses and customers.”
