After removing the two-factor authentication (2FA) via SMS facility for users not subscribed to X Premium, the company has announced a new login option for iOS devices in the U.S.
2FA helps protect your account and lets you log in to your X account without needing a password. The feature is generally available in several social media applications. However, on X things slightly changed as the company highlighted that only a small percentage of users used 2FA via SMS.
Today we’re excited to launch Passkeys as a login option for our US-based users on iOS!
— Safety (@Safety) January 23, 2024
A passkey is a new, easy to use, and secure way to log in to your account - all from your device. Passkeys are more secure than traditional passwords since they’re individually generated by…
Hence, users who were not subscribed to X Premium were stripped of this facility. However, if the non-subscriber uses the iOS app of X, they are getting a new option to log in called Passkeys.
The company’s help center post explains the feature by stating:
“Passkey is a feature that allows a secure and convenient alternative to passwords, designed to streamline sign-ins across multiple devices. Passkeys provide enhanced security compared to traditional passwords since they are individually generated by your device for each account, making them less susceptible to phishing attacks and unauthorized access.”
X encourages iOS users to opt for passkeys to enhance their account security and enjoy convenient log-ins.
The concept behind passkeys is that they use public key cryptography from the WebAuthentication (or "WebAuthn") standard. This means that when a user registers their account on X, their device generates two types of keys. One is a public key that is stored and shared in X and the other is a private key that is only available to your device.
These two keys are generated for every account that a user registers on their device. When the passkey facility is activated, users can enter their passkey, which will be verified against the public key stored in X to aid the login process.
It is important to note that only existing X accounts on iOS can use this option currently, and that, users can not use pass-keys to register for new accounts.
Pass-keys are a mere alternative to passwords when logging into an existing account. These pass-keys can also be deleted. Several companies are now opting for easy logins through this technology.
2 Comments - Add comment