In recent weeks, Apple has announced its bold new security move that will have a positive security impact on everyone. This new security move will be changing how we access our browser and will essentially boost security for all its users – which is awesome news! As we all know, (including Apple) passwords alone are naturally flawed when trying to secure any program and/or account. Passwords can be lost, forgotten, not strong enough, or end up in breaches.
Because of this problem, Apple decided they needed to take a deeper look into keeping their users’ devices safer from a potential data breach. These breaches are happening all too often to vulnerable users who lack the cybersecurity knowledge to properly secure their devices – and that’s ok! That’s where we come in and where other companies like Apple are making sure to securely protect their users as best as they can against these types of threats.
The maker of the iPhone has recently joined forces with the FIDO Alliance to further investigate ways of keeping their users’ data more secure even beyond MFA (multi-factor authentication). The FIDO Alliance is an organization dedicated to reducing the reliance on passwords while creating new authentication methods including the Face ID and Touch ID – both biometrics and security keys – thus allowing users to better protect their devices, documents, and any sensitive information through other secured methods. They’re shifting more and more towards new authentication methods such as the Face ID and Touch ID, mostly because these methods can be best described as MFA (multi-factor authentication) on steroids. These methods go above and beyond to completely personalize each secured login attempt and minimize the risk factors of being hacked.
In typical Apple fashion, they’ve gone above and beyond and have taken these new methods to greater heights. Apple plans to roll out its newest security feature on web browsers that will require another level of security including face recognition and fingerprinting by its users. They will be adding the Face ID and Touch ID to the Safari browser to allow Apple device users to authenticate themselves across the web – how ‘bout them apples?
This new and bold security feature was announced this past week by the iPhone maker and is set to launch later this year. Apple’s newest capabilities are made possible through FIDO2 standards’ Web Authentication (WebAuthn) API, which essentially allows developers to build this new method of authentication into their websites. And the best news of all? This new security move is important for all users. Although Apple isn’t the first to introduce WebAuthn to its browser, their security move is still extremely significant and worth an applause. The executive director of FIDO, Andrew Shikiar, even stated that the complex security move is “a huge step forward in the industry’s movement beyond passwords.”
Apple is commonly known as a major pioneer in making complex security procedures simpler for a wide audience. Eventually, these security methods will become second nature to Apple users making it more common for individuals to use their face or fingerprint to access any desired websites, programs, and services eventually leading to major improvements to everyone’s security overall. Way to go, Apple – you’re making cyber experts like us very proud!
