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I mean, same with passwords, right? If you enter your password on a compromised device or you forget it, you are screwed. Which is what password managers (or pa

I mean, same with passwords, right? If you enter your password on a compromised device or you forget it, you are screwed. Which is what password managers (or passkey managers, or perhaps we could use a new term like "credential managers") help you with. Syncing, preventing unauthorised access (for example requiring your biometrics, main password or similar), backing up...

luismedel 2y ago
Honest question: Can I have a paper backup of passkeys? How can I pass them to tech-illiterate relatives?
- wetpaws 2y ago
  [dead]
- dboreham 2y ago
  No and you can't. These are features.
- UltraSane 2y ago
  No and that is actually a key advantage that makes them almost impossible to be stolen or phished.
  - hn_acc1 2y ago
    [dead]
oefrha 2y ago
You can write down your password anywhere and copy it to any other piece of paper at any time. You don’t need certain brands of paper blessed by a consortium, or have restrictions even when copying to a blessed brand of paper.
- growse 2y ago
  The only reason you care about copying your password is because it's usually (always?) the only credentials you have for a service. This isn't true of webauthn/passkeys. The number of use cases where you need to "make a copy of " or "backup" your passkeys is zero. I get that some providers let you do this for some level of convenience, but you can opt out of this and just enrol multiple distinct credentials with each service.
  - oefrha 2y ago
    Unless you want to re-log into and re-enroll every service you ever signed up for when you get a new device (which is when lots of people get rid of their old device, it’s even what device manufacturers recommend, see trade-in prompts when you buy a new phone), you do need to migrate credentials. > The number of use cases where you need to "make a copy of " or "backup" your passkeys is zero. That just tells me you haven’t thought about the problem at all.

luismedel 2y ago

Honest question: Can I have a paper backup of passkeys? How can I pass them to tech-illiterate relatives?

wetpaws 2y ago
[dead]
dboreham 2y ago
No and you can't. These are features.
UltraSane 2y ago
No and that is actually a key advantage that makes them almost impossible to be stolen or phished.
- hn_acc1 2y ago
  [dead]

oefrha 2y ago

You can write down your password anywhere and copy it to any other piece of paper at any time. You don’t need certain brands of paper blessed by a consortium, or have restrictions even when copying to a blessed brand of paper.

growse 2y ago
The only reason you care about copying your password is because it's usually (always?) the only credentials you have for a service. This isn't true of webauthn/passkeys. The number of use cases where you need to "make a copy of " or "backup" your passkeys is zero. I get that some providers let you do this for some level of convenience, but you can opt out of this and just enrol multiple distinct credentials with each service.
- oefrha 2y ago
  Unless you want to re-log into and re-enroll every service you ever signed up for when you get a new device (which is when lots of people get rid of their old device, it’s even what device manufacturers recommend, see trade-in prompts when you buy a new phone), you do need to migrate credentials. > The number of use cases where you need to "make a copy of " or "backup" your passkeys is zero. That just tells me you haven’t thought about the problem at all.