3 ms·

What do you use?

dboreham 1y ago
Not the parent, but the obvious answer is: a hard token (e.g. Yubikey). After all passkeys are just a software emulation of the smart card / FIDO2 mechanism that's been around for many years.
- crote 1y ago
  This doesn't solve the problem, unfortunately. The issue with hard tokens is that there is only one of them. By design, you can't back up a Yubikey's content to a second token. This means that any time you add 2FA to a new account, you must have all of your hard tokens in your possession to enroll them. This means a "one token on your keyring for daily use, one token in a safety deposit box as backup" approach isn't possible. Yubico did propose a potential solution five years ago[0], but that proposal seems to have gone nowhere. Until something like that gets implemented, FIDO2 (and by extension Passkeys) requires some form software implementation backed by cloud synchronization to actually be usable for the average person. [0]: https://www.yubico.com/blog/yubico-proposes-webauthn-protocol-extension-to-simplify-backup-security-keys/ https://www.yubico.com/blog/yubico-proposes-webauthn-protoco...
  - hanikesn 1y ago
    It works well enough. When you need to signup for a new service on the go, you can add your backup key when you get to it. Having the backup key in a safety deposit box hardly accessible seems like a non-goal given you protect it with a pin with a very limited number of retries.
    - bitzun 1y ago
      I keep it in a secure separate location in case my house catches on fire.
    - godelski 1y ago
      > When you need to signup for a new service on the go, you can add your backup key when you get to it Good on paper, bad in practice. Requires you to remember doing that each and every time. Incidentally this isn't that different from just grabbing your keys like the parent suggested. Only it introduces a new variable: time delay. A lot can happen in that time and we all know the reality is that even a diligent person is going to slip now and then. It surely isn't a reasonable expectation for an average person.
      - blibble 1y ago
        I have three: 1) local usage 2) local backup key 3) remote backup key every few months I swap 2 and 3, and re-enroll any missing (kept track of with a spreadsheet) quite annoying, offline enrollment would be considerably better
        rssoconnor 1y ago
        This is the way.
    - lxgr 1y ago
      > Having the backup key in a safety deposit box hardly accessible seems like a non-goal It's absolutely a goal, since a PIN doesn't prevent your security key from loss, theft, or physical destruction.

What do you use?

Not the parent, but the obvious answer is: a hard token (e.g. Yubikey). After all passkeys are just a software emulation of the smart card / FIDO2 mechanism that's been around for many years.

crote 1y ago
This doesn't solve the problem, unfortunately. The issue with hard tokens is that there is only one of them. By design, you can't back up a Yubikey's content to a second token. This means that any time you add 2FA to a new account, you must have all of your hard tokens in your possession to enroll them. This means a "one token on your keyring for daily use, one token in a safety deposit box as backup" approach isn't possible. Yubico did propose a potential solution five years ago[0], but that proposal seems to have gone nowhere. Until something like that gets implemented, FIDO2 (and by extension Passkeys) requires some form software implementation backed by cloud synchronization to actually be usable for the average person. [0]: https://www.yubico.com/blog/yubico-proposes-webauthn-protocol-extension-to-simplify-backup-security-keys/ https://www.yubico.com/blog/yubico-proposes-webauthn-protoco...
- hanikesn 1y ago
  It works well enough. When you need to signup for a new service on the go, you can add your backup key when you get to it. Having the backup key in a safety deposit box hardly accessible seems like a non-goal given you protect it with a pin with a very limited number of retries.
  - bitzun 1y ago
    I keep it in a secure separate location in case my house catches on fire.
  - godelski 1y ago
    > When you need to signup for a new service on the go, you can add your backup key when you get to it Good on paper, bad in practice. Requires you to remember doing that each and every time. Incidentally this isn't that different from just grabbing your keys like the parent suggested. Only it introduces a new variable: time delay. A lot can happen in that time and we all know the reality is that even a diligent person is going to slip now and then. It surely isn't a reasonable expectation for an average person.
    - blibble 1y ago
      I have three: 1) local usage 2) local backup key 3) remote backup key every few months I swap 2 and 3, and re-enroll any missing (kept track of with a spreadsheet) quite annoying, offline enrollment would be considerably better
      - rssoconnor 1y ago
        This is the way.
  - lxgr 1y ago
    > Having the backup key in a safety deposit box hardly accessible seems like a non-goal It's absolutely a goal, since a PIN doesn't prevent your security key from loss, theft, or physical destruction.