Understanding the FIDO Alliance and Its Role in Our Password[less] Future 

In today's digital world, where data breaches and cybercrime are an ever-present threat, the security of our online identities is paramount. The FIDO Alliance, a consortium of industry leaders, is on a mission to revolutionize how we authenticate ourselves online and make passwords a thing of the past with technologies like FIDO Authentication. But who exactly is the FIDO Alliance, what is FIDO Authentication, and what is the Alliance doing to help create a password[less] future?

Who is the FIDO Alliance?

FIDO stands for Fast Identity Online. The FIDO Alliance is a global organization formed by hundreds of leaders from various sectors, including enterprise, payments, telecom, government, and healthcare. The Alliance launched in 2013 as the brainchild of PayPal and Validity Sensors, intending to develop open, interoperable authentication standards leveraging biometrics to enhance security and privacy while providing a seamless user experience. The FIDO Alliance's mission evolved to "promote the development of, use of, and compliance with standards for authentication and device attestation." Today, their technology and web standards strengthen cybersecurity globally for billions of devices used by over 150 million people.

Understanding FIDO Authentication

One of the groundbreaking technologies developed by the FIDO Alliance is FIDO Authentication. Unlike traditional authentication methods that rely on passwords, FIDO authentication leverages public key cryptography to provide a secure and convenient way to prove one's identity. Here's how it works:

• Registration: During the initial setup, the user's device generates a pair of cryptographic keys – a private key that remains on the device and a public key shared with the online service.
• Authentication: When the user attempts to log in to a supported service, the FIDO-enabled device uses the private key to sign a challenge sent by the service. The device sends the signed response back to the service, which verifies the signed response using the previously stored public key.

The FIDO Alliance partnered with the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to develop Web Authentication (WebAuthn), a core component of FIDO Authentication. WebAuthn is a web-based API that allows websites to update their login pages to add FIDO-based authentication on supported browsers and platforms. Web services and apps can then enable users to log in via biometrics, mobile devices, and/or FIDO security keys.

Benefits of FIDO Authentication

The traditional username-password combination has proven to be a weak link in security, leading to data breaches and account compromises. FIDO Authentication offers a transformative solution by eliminating the need for passwords. Benefits include:

• Strong security: FIDO Authentication eliminates the vulnerabilities associated with passwords, such as weak or reused credentials, phishing attacks, and password database breaches. The cryptographic keys provide robust protection against unauthorized access because they cannot be easily stolen or replicated.
• User convenience: With FIDO Authentication, users no longer need to remember and manage multiple passwords. They can authenticate themselves using their devices, such as smartphones or security keys, which are often something they already have.
• Interoperability: FIDO Authentication is an open standard, ensuring compatibility across various platforms, devices, and services. This interoperability fosters widespread adoption and simplifies the user experience.

FIDO and the password[less] future

By adopting FIDO Authentication, organizations can enhance security, protect user data, and deliver a more user-friendly experience. The FIDO Alliance continues to collaborate with industry partners, drive adoption, and promote the password[less] vision, working towards a future where authentication is both secure and frictionless. Learn more about LastPass and our journey to password[less].