Switching to Passkeys for Safety
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – October is Cybersecurity Month, a reminder for everyone to take small but meaningful steps to stay safe online.
Experts say one of the most effective ways to do that is by replacing passwords with passkeys, a newer, stronger, and easier way to sign in.
Traditional passwords have long been a weak link in online security.
They can be stolen, guessed, or exposed in data breaches, and even the most complex passwords can still be targeted by phishing scams.
Passkeys, on the other hand, use technology that eliminates the need to remember or type a password at all.
Instead, a passkey is stored securely on your device and verified through a method you already use, like Face ID, Touch ID, or a device PIN.
When you sign in, your device uses a unique digital key pair to confirm your identity without sending any secret information over the internet.
That means there’s nothing for hackers to intercept or reuse.
Passkeys are also phishing-resistant because they only work on the website or app they were created for.
Even if someone tries to trick you into visiting a fake site, the passkey won’t authenticate there.
According to the FIDO Alliance, passkey adoption is growing rapidly.
Major tech companies including Apple, Google, and Microsoft have already integrated passkey support into their platforms.
Recent data from the Alliance shows that more than 15 billion online accounts can now support passkeys, and businesses that have rolled them out are seeing fewer account recovery requests and higher sign-in success rates.
Cybersecurity experts say this shift is one of the most significant steps toward reducing phishing and identity theft, and for everyday users, it’s also a way to make logging in faster and simpler.
