Vincent
Created: January 31, 2025
Updated: January 31, 2025
Do you want to learn more?
Read full blog postPasskey-based authentication relies on strong cryptographic standards to ensure security, privacy, and phishing resistance. Unlike traditional authentication methods that use passwords, passkeys employ public-key cryptography, which prevents credential theft and brute-force attacks.
Passkeys are built on the FIDO2 standard, which includes:
These protocols ensure that passkeys are cryptographically bound to a user’s device and cannot be intercepted, replayed, or phished.
Passkeys use asymmetric cryptographic key pairs, where:
Passkey implementations support multiple cryptographic algorithms, ensuring security and performance:
Algorithm | Purpose | Strength |
---|---|---|
RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman) | Public-key cryptography | 2048-bit (or higher) |
ECDSA (Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm) | Digital signatures | 256-bit curve |
EdDSA (Edwards-Curve Digital Signature Algorithm) | Faster authentication | 255-bit or 448-bit curves |
SHA-256 (Secure Hash Algorithm 256-bit) | Hashing and signing | 256-bit hash |
AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) | Secure storage | 128-bit or 256-bit |
These encryption methods make passkeys resistant to brute-force attacks and quantum computing threats (when using post-quantum cryptography enhancements).
To prevent theft or tampering, passkeys are stored in hardware-backed security modules, such as:
Because the private key never leaves the secure enclave, attackers cannot extract or steal passkeys remotely.
Unlike traditional passwords, which are vulnerable to phishing, credential stuffing, and database leaks, passkeys:
Passkey-based authentication employs state-of-the-art encryption standards, including public-key cryptography (RSA, ECDSA, EdDSA), secure storage (TPMs, Secure Enclaves), and FIDO2/WebAuthn protocols. This ensures strong, phishing-resistant authentication while maintaining a seamless user experience.
Do you want to learn more?
Read full blog postEnjoyed this read?
🤝 Join our Passkeys Community
Share passkeys implementation tips and get support to free the world from passwords.
🚀 Subscribe to Substack
Get the latest news, strategies, and insights about passkeys sent straight to your inbox.
We provide UI components, SDKs and guides to help you add passkeys to your app in <1 hour
Start for free