By now, most people know passkeys offer a better way to protect their online credentials than passwords. Nearly every tech company of note, including Apple, Google and Microsoft, supports the protocol. Moreover, despite a slow start, adoption has dramatically increased in the last year, with, for instance, password manager Dashlane recently noting a 400% increase in use since the beginning of 2024. Still, not everyone knows they don’t need to rely on passwords to protect their online identity, and transferring your passkeys between platforms isn’t as easy as it should be.
That’s why the FIDO Alliance, the coalition of organizations behind the technology, is working to make it easier to do just that. On Tuesday, the group published draft specifications for the Credential Exchange Protocol (CXP) and Credential Exchange Format (CXF), two standards that, once adopted by the industry, will allow you to safely and seamlessly move all your passkeys and passwords between different apps and platforms.
With some of the biggest names in the industry collaborating on the effort (including Apple, Google, 1Password, Bitwarden, and Dashlane, to name a few), there’s a very good chance we’re looking at a future where your current password manager — particularly if you use one of the first-party ones offered by Apple or Google — won’t be the reason you can’t switch platforms. And that’s a very good thing.
“It is critical that users can choose the credential management platform they prefer, and switch credential providers securely and without burden,” the FIDO Alliance said. “Until now, there has been no standard for the secure movement of credentials, and often the movement of passwords or other credentials has been done in the clear.”
The CXP and CXF standards aren’t ready for prime time just yet. The FIDO Alliance plans to collect feedback before it publishes the final set of specifications and gives its members the go-ahead to implement the technology.
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