American tech giant Google has brought in a new feature for its Chrome users. After going through a testing period in October, Google has made available ‘passkeys’ for Chroma users this week. Passkeys are a significantly safer replacement for passwords and other phishable authentication factors.
Here’s all you need to know about Google Chrome’s Passkeys:
What are passkeys?
Passwords are typically the first line of defense in our digital lives. However, they are at risk of being phished, leaked in data breaches, and even suffering poor password hygiene. Google has long recognised these issues, which is why we Google created defenses like 2-Step Verification and Google Password Manager.
But to address security threats, the company decided to move towards passwordless authentication. This is where passkeys come in.
Passkeys cannot be reused, don’t leak in server breaches, and protect users from phishing attacks. Passkeys are built on industry standards, can work across different operating systems and browser ecosystems, and can be used with both websites and apps.
How passkeys can be used?
One can use passkeys to sign into sites and apps that support them. Signing in with a passkey will require you to authenticate yourself in the same way that you unlock a device.
At present, Chrome has enabled passkeys on Windows 11, macOS, and Android.
On Android, passkeys will be securely synced through Google Password Manager or, in future versions of Android, any other password manager that supports passkeys.
Once you have a passkey saved on your device it can show up in autofill when you’re signing in to help you be more secure.
On a desktop, one can choose to use a passkey from a nearby mobile device.
A passkey doesn’t leave your mobile device when signing in like this. Only a securely generated code is exchanged with the site so, unlike a password, there’s nothing that could be leaked.
To give users control over passkeys, from Chrome M108 one can manage your passkeys from within Chrome on Windows and macOS.
Google enables users can sync their passkeys from Android to other devices using either the company’s own password manager or a compatible third-party password manager like 1Password or Dashlane.
Separately, Chrome has announced two new performance modes recently for the desktop web browser. The two modes are Memory Saver and Energy Saver which boost battery life and free up memory.
Google suggests that these new modes will allow users to reduce Chrome’s memory usage by up to 30% and extend battery life when a device is running low on power.
At present, both these modes have been launched for Chrome desktop (m108), but will eventually be accessible worldwide.
As per The Verge, when Memory Saver and Energy Saver arrive on your device, you can locate them under the three-dot settings menu in Chrome. Both features can be enabled or disabled independently.
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