Open-source password manager Bitwarden has announced its acquisition of Passwordless.dev, an API that uses the cutting-edge FIDO2 WebAuthn standards.
The deal is a statement of Bitwarden’s intention to enhance its service with passwordless compatibility like Passkeys, a core offering that helps Passwordless.dev developers build websites and services.
WebAuthn or Web Authentication is supported by all the big players in the technology industry including Microsoft, Google and Apple and is the standard they are adopting to enable passwordless user accounts.
“More accessible to all”
Following the $100M funding round, “the acquisition enables Bitwarden to provide customers with a strong WebAuthn framework from which to build custom functionality and deliver world-class passwordless user experiences.”
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Passwordless.dev is also open source, which the company claims allows for easy integration into developer systems and WebAuthn compatibility with minimal coding needs.
Bitwarden CEO Michael Crandell said, “Passwordless.dev enables developers and enterprises to accelerate passwordless innovation by simplifying development efforts in a single API.”
Anders Åberg, Founder of Passwordless.dev added: “In this race to secure online experiences with the power of FIDO2 to mitigate common attack vectors, Bitwarden and Passwordless.dev will make passwordless more accessible to all.”
The FIDO Alliance, in collaboration with the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), developed the Web Authentication API or WebAuthn as part of the FIDO2 specifications.
It allows websites and services to allow users to authenticate their login with one of their smart devices using the security they have to lock that device, such as biometrics like fingerprints or face recognition, or a PIN code. No passwords are required.
If your device, like a PC, lacks such biometric technology, you can use an external security key via a USB reader instead.
Passkeys take the place of passwords. There are two sets of keys for each account, one public and one private. The former is stored on servers and the latter is encrypted and stored only on the user-designated device. Because of this, FIDO claims that passkeys are much more secure and phishing resistant.
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