ID.me Enables FIDO U2F Security Key Support

“The new support should help to further raise the profile of ID.me in the wake of its win of the Trailblazer Award at this year’s inaugural K(NO)W Identity Conference. “

ID.me’s Identity Gateway is now FIDO U2F certified, and supports FIDO U2F Security Keys, the company has announced.

In a statement, ID.me asserted that given that it already offers identity verification services for three federal agencies, its FIDO support represents the “first roll out of FIDO U2F for 2-factor authentication for government agencies in the US.” That means that in addition to the current authentication methods supported by ID.me’s platform, end users will have the option of using devices like Yubico’s USB YubiKeys to validate their identities for digital services.

In a statement announcing the support, ID.me CEO Blake Hall called such security keys “unphishable”, asserting that while other credentials can often be hacked or spoofed, a FIDO U2F security key “must be physically stolen from you” in order to compromise your account.

The new support should help to further raise the profile of ID.me in the wake of its win of the Trailblazer Award at this year’s inaugural K(NO)W Identity Conference. Hall and Yubico CEO Stina Ehrensvard will discuss the FIDO U2F support at a special event during this week’s FedID conference in Washington, DC, starting at 2:15pm on September 14th.