Goodbye Passwords and Welcome Windows 10 FIDO Support

Microsoft has officially joined the war for authentication without the need for old fashioned and uncool passwords. Microsoft joined the FIDO Alliance in late 2013, but the company announced only last month that Windows 10 will feature the Fast Identity Online (FIDO) 2.0. This means that instead of using common passwords to log in to your PC, Microsoft services, and other accounts, you’ll also be able to use a fingerprint or eye scan to provide an extra layer of security against hackers and data sniffers.

Windows 10 seems to be focused mainly on features that would attract IT buffs, such as FIDO support for popular cloud services; such as: Office 365 Exchange Online, Salesforce, Citrix, and Box. However, FIDO will also appeal to consumer services; such as: Windows 10 sign-ins, Outlook.com as well as OneDrive.

Why this is breaking news: FIDO is currently the best candidate for more sophisticated and efficient level of authentication and security without the need for passwords that are liable to hacking and loss. The FIDO Alliance has revolutionized online authentication and harbors several large tech companies as well as other businesses with focal interest in security, like: Arm, Bank of America, Google, Lenovo, Mastercard, PayPal and Visa.

What is FIDO?

So what is FIDO anyway? Simply put, instead of using common passwords that can be so easily forgotten, lost, stolen or estimated, any device that is equipped with FIDO would use biometrics; such as fingerprint and eye scans that are almost impossible to attain. This would be one of two methods, the second could also be matched with a key fob for two-factor authentication for even more security.

Biometric scanners aren’t all that new. They have already been built into smartphones, laptops, and other devices for some time. The only difference with FIDO is that it’s an open standard which means that any company can apply it into their products and services. In addition, FIDO-compliant biometric scanners and two-factor authentication devices can be paired with any FIDO-supporting service, contrary to fingerprint scanning security mechanisms we have now.

FIDO features are also developed so that a user’s biometric data always remains within the device.

If you are curious to know more about FIDO, Microsoft says FIDO integration is already available in the Windows 10 Technical Preview for enterprise applications as well as Windows 10 sign-in.