It’s become a classic in the tech world: Every few months, a company introduces a new system that supposedly buries old-fashioned passwords – so far without success. But this time we may have to brace ourselves for big changes, because it’s the almighty Google that has just shifted gears; The Mountain View company has just discreetly begun the comprehensive conversion to the passkey model.
Passwords are an essential part of our digital lives; This is a simple and relatively effective way to protect access to a device, account, or sensitive data. However, as the number of services increases exponentially, this solution becomes increasingly unsuitable.
Each of us collects tons of passwords associated with a variety of email services, commerce, streaming, banking, etc. As computing power increases, they also tend to become more complex, allowing hackers to crack a password that is too simple in no time. Result: Today it is almost impossible to remember them all.
It’s easy to understand why more and more Internet users are turning to specialized managers. We also see that more and more users tend to use the same access codes for all their services, which is a major vulnerability.
The new default option at Google
For reasons of comfort and safety, it is becoming increasingly clear that this model cannot last forever. This is why more and more tech companies are trying to get rid of it. To achieve this, several giants like Microsoft, Apple or Google have started switching to the passkey model since last year.
Now the Mountain View troops are trying Generalize this approach. After a long testing campaign that appears to have yielded positive results, Google will be the first digital giant to achieve this the default option for connecting to its numerous services.
The company therefore becomes concrete Encourage the public to complete a fingerprint or facial scan instead of using a traditional password. The exact date of the change has not been announced, but the wording suggests that the change is imminent.
This decision could have significant implications. Surely, Old-fashioned passwords will not disappear in the short or medium term. This model will be relevant for some time to come. But Google’s initiative could significantly accelerate this paradigm shift. Therefore, it is better to familiarize yourself with the concept now.
What is a passkey?
This generic term refers to an authentication method that is not based on a classic character string. For the user, they can take many different forms. But in recent years, with the advent of biometrics, these are the Fingerprints or facial scans which began to prevail. This is in fact data that is very difficult to forge and is (at least for now) less vulnerable to phishing.
To be more precise, the passkeys are based on a system asymmetric identification. They consist of a public key managed by the service and a private key that is only stored locally. The second cannot be reconstructed from the first. In theory, passkeys therefore include a additional level of privacy and security.
How do I reject (or adopt) Google passwords?
If this transition seems too brutal, don’t panic. Google won’t bury the old method overnight. You can still log in with your good old password. All you need to do is select an option titled ” If possible, ignore password “.
On the other hand, if you want to anticipate this change, you can already create your access key. To do this, go to Security section of your Google Account settings (at myaccount.google.com). There you will find a section titled “How to Sign in to Google” which contains an “Access Key” field. From there, all you have to do is grab your smartphone and follow the instructions.