“The device features an embedded fingerprint sensor; once a fingerprint is enrolled on the device, it is stored in a Secure Element and can be used for on-device authentication going forward.”
Microsoft Ignite, the company’s annual tech conference, is underway this week in Orlando, and Yubico has taken the opportunity to unveil its first biometric YubiKey.
The YubiKey line comprises Yubico’s flagship security key devices. With variations supporting contactless, NFC-based pairing and connections with mobile devices, most of YubiKey’s offerings are designed to be plugged into the USB port of a given laptop or computer. From there, they can be tapped in order to provide confirmation that a user is physically present at a given device, allowing for an extra layer of security in online authentication sessions.
Yubico’s YubiKey Bio is designed to push that security even further by adding in the element of biometric authentication. The device features an embedded fingerprint sensor; once a fingerprint is enrolled on the device, it is stored in a Secure Element and can be used for on-device authentication going forward.
This on-device approach is in line with FIDO Alliance standards, and in keeping with FIDO2’s WebAuthn specification in particular, which supports biometric authentication through web browsers. YubiKey Bio’s biometric functionality would also seem to be a natural fit for Microsoft and Windows 10, whose Windows Hello authentication platform revolves around the use of biometric security. So it’s no wonder that the YubiKey Bio was unveiled at Microsoft Ignite, with Microsoft VP Alex Simons showcasing how the device can be used for passwordless sign-in on Microsoft Azure Active Directory during a live demo at Microsoft Ignite.
Yubico hasn’t yet set a release date or a price for the YubiKey Bio, but has set up a dedicated mailing list for those who want to be informed about these details as soon as they’re available.
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