Securing your online accounts from phishing attacks is about to get even easier as Yubico has announced that its YubiKey Bio Series is now generally available.
The YubiKey Bio Series is the company’s first security key that supports fingerprint recognition for secure passwordless and second factor logins. Yubico designed its latest security key for biometric authentication on desktop PCs and Macs and it supports modern FIDO2/WebAuthn and U2F protocols while being available in both USB-A and USB-C form factors.
The YubiKey Bio can now be purchased on the company’s website though you will need to pay a bit more if you want the device in a USB-C form factor. While the YubiKey Bio with USB-A costs $80 (around £58), the YubiKey Bio with USB-C costs $85 (around £62).
If you’re looking for a security key with NFC support though, you may be better off opting for Yubico’s YubiKey 5 Series instead of the YubiKey Bio. Thankfully though, the company has created a quiz on its website to help you determine the best security key for your needs.
YubiKey Bio Series
Just like with Yubico’s other YubiKey devices, the YubiKey Bio does not require any batteries, drivers or additional software. Instead the device is designed to integrate with the native biometric enrollment and management features supported in the latest platforms and operating systems.
As a result, once a YubiKey Bio is set up, users will be able to use it for secure second factor authentication and passwordless logins for desktop-based FIDO-supported services and applications. Out of the box, the device works with Citrix Workspace, Duo, GitHub, IBM Security Verify, Microsoft Azure Active Directory, Microsoft 365, Okta and Ping Identity.
The YubiKey Bio Series also features a three chip architecture which allows biometric fingerprint data to be stored in a separate secure element that delivers enhanced protection from physical attacks. It acts as a single, trusted hardware-backed root of trust which users can leverage to authenticate with the same key across multiple desktop devices, operating systems and applications.
Partner director of product management in Microsoft’s identity and network access division Sue Bohn praised Yubico’s latest security key in a press release, saying:
“More and more of our customers prefer biometric methods, because they provide strong security protection and are easier and faster to sign in than a password. Yubico carefully considered customer needs in designing the biometric key to make it secure and simple enough for anyone to use. A FIDO2 YubiKey with a biometric sensor is a cause for celebration.”
