Re:Passkeys.io – A Passkey Authentication Demo
by dwaite on Tuesday October 25, 2022 @02:33PM
(#33334449)
The use-case is to create a new key pair when you register an "authenticator" device, and then sign a challenge later to authenticate (prove it is the existing known authenticator).
It is up to the site to decide if it wants to accept that authenticator, e.g. if it meets the necessary security requirements. For most sites, they'll accept anything based on user preference.
The site only ever knows the 'kind' of authenticator though (possibly through a cryptographic attestation). The authentication process only releases/uses the public key, not any supplemental information. The site would never see any PIN or biometric information that was gathered locally to release the use of the key.
The site (usually) can't even tell whether it was a PIN or biometric used - just that that 'kind' of authenticator has a particular behavior and particular security reputation/policy/certifications.
It is up to the site to decide if it wants to accept that authenticator, e.g. if it meets the necessary security requirements. For most sites, they'll accept anything based on user preference.
The site only ever knows the 'kind' of authenticator though (possibly through a cryptographic attestation). The authentication process only releases/uses the public key, not any supplemental information. The site would never see any PIN or biometric information that was gathered locally to release the use of the key.
The site (usually) can't even tell whether it was a PIN or biometric used - just that that 'kind' of authenticator has a particular behavior and particular security reputation/policy/certifications.