Soon you’ll be able to securely and easily move your passkeys between password managers

By now, most people know that passkeys provide a better way to protect their online information than passwords. Almost every technology company of note, including Apple, Google and Microsoft, supports the protocol. In addition, despite a slow start, adoption has grown significantly over the past year, as, for example, password manager Dashlane recently noted a 400% increase in usage since the beginning of 2024. However, not everyone knows that they don’t have to trust. to passwords to protect their online identities, and transferring your passkeys between platforms isn’t as easy as it should be.

That’s why the FIDO Alliance, a coalition of technology support organizations, is working to make that easier. On Tuesday, the group published a draft of the Credential Exchange Protocol (CXP) and Credential Exchange Format (CXF) specifications, two standards that, if adopted by the industry, will allow you to securely and seamlessly move all your passkeys and passwords between different applications. and platforms.

With some of the biggest names in the industry joining the effort (including Apple, Google, 1Password, Bitwarden, and Dashlane, to name a few), there’s a very good chance we’re looking at the future where your current password manager is – especially if you’re using one of the original companies. offered by Apple or Google – it won’t be the reason you can’t switch platforms. And that is a very good thing.

“It is important for users to choose the credential management platform of their choice, and to switch data providers safely and without burden,” said the FIDO Alliance. “Until now, there has been no standard for the secure transmission of information, and often the transmission of passwords or other credentials has been done transparently.”

The CXP and CXF standards are not ready for prime time yet. The FIDO Alliance plans to collect feedback before it publishes a final set of specifications and gives its members permission to move forward with the technology.

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