X, formerly Twitter, today Announce Support for passkeys, a new login method that is more secure than traditional passwords, will become an option for US users on iOS devices. This technology has been adopted by a number of apps recently, including PayPal, TikTok, WhatsApp, and others.
Initiated by Google, Apple, Microsoft, and the FIDO Alliance, along with the World Wide Web Consortium, passkey technology aims to enable passwordless logins across different devices, operating systems, and web browsers. The feature arrived on iOS devices in September 2022 and on Google accounts last May. Unlike logins that rely solely on a username and password combination, passkeys use biometric authentication such as Face ID, Touch ID, PIN, or physical security authentication key to validate login attempts. This process combines the benefits of two-factor authentication (2FA) into one step, to make the login process smoother while also being more secure.
The addition is particularly useful for X, given the high-profile hacks that have resulted in accounts on the service being compromised by bad actors. For example, in January of this year, US Securities and Exchange Company X’s account was hacked to share an unauthorized post related to the approval of a Bitcoin ETF. Other high-profile hacks included Donald Trump Jr.’s And even the account of X owner Elon Musk, among others. In this case, the accounts were used to post a message promoting a Bitcoin wallet address with the promise of double payouts in return. (This hack was before Musk acquired Twitter, which is now called X.)
In the days following Musk’s acquisition of Twitter/X, the company removed another security measure that helped keep accounts safe when it announced last year that it would no longer support SMS 2FA for unpaid accounts. Twitter (it was Twitter then, not X!) justified the change, which was likely a cost-cutting measure saying This method can be abused by bad actors, such as in the case of SIM swapping. However, the reality was that removing the security protections made Twitter less secure as a result.
X shared Instructions on how to get started with passkeys on iOS But the company did not say when the option will be available on other platforms or in more markets outside the United States