How can passkeys prevent account takeovers?

Account takeovers are a significant security threat for enterprises and users alike. Passkeys address this issue by leveraging phishing-resistant technology and security standards like WebAuthn. Here's how they work:

• Passkeys are bound to the specific domain of the service they authenticate, making them unusable on fake websites.
• Unlike passwords or SMS OTPs, passkeys do not rely on shared secrets that attackers can intercept or steal.

• Passkeys use public-private key pairs, where:
  • The private key is stored securely on the user’s device and never shared.
  • The public key is stored on the server and used to verify the user’s authentication.
• Even if attackers compromise the server, they cannot access the private key required for authentication.

Since passkeys are not stored as traditional credentials, they are immune to credential stuffing attacks that exploit reused passwords from data breaches.

Passkeys rely on device-based biometrics (e.g., fingerprint or face recognition), ensuring only the legitimate user can authenticate.

By eliminating the vulnerabilities of passwords and SMS OTPs, passkeys make it nearly impossible for attackers to carry out account takeovers. They ensure that authentication happens only in secure, trusted environments.