Passkeys Explained: What Is a Passkey and How Do Passkeys Work?

Passwordless authentication is becoming more mainstream as more people and platforms recognize how it improves security over traditional passwords. Big-name players like Microsoft, Google, and Apple are among those leading the charge.

Bringing them all together is the FIDO (Fast IDentity Online) Alliance, an organization that works on passwordless technology and establishes standards for organizations to follow.

Researchers have found billions of unique logins—combinations of usernames and passwords—on the dark web. This treasure trove of logins puts a lot of consumers at risk, especially considering how many people reuse their passwords. When your passwords end up on the dark web, cybercriminals can use them to get into your accounts and steal your private data.

That’s why passkey-based authentication is skyrocketing in popularity.

What is a passkey?

As simple as they are to use, passkeys can be difficult to understand. That’s why we’re breaking it down into varying concepts and levels, so you can leave this blog post knowing what a passkey is and how it’s different from a password.

Explain it like I'm 5

Passwords are a secret you have to remember. If they get stolen (which they often do), anyone can use them.

Passkeys are a way to log in without a password. They use your phone or computer's built-in security (like your fingerprint or face) to prove that you are who you say you are. A lot of security happens behind the scenes, but the main benefit of passkeys is that they can’t be stolen like passwords.

Plus, there’s nothing to remember, so you’ll never forget them!

Explain it a bit more thoroughly

A passkey is a passwordless login. It's a full password replacement that’s more secure and easier to use. Passkeys are better than passwords because they can't be phished or stolen.

Instead of creating a password for an account, you enable an “authenticator” to generate a passkey. The authenticator can be your smartphone (iPhone or Android), your computer (Windows Hello or macOS), or a password manager that supports passkeys.

The authenticator still requires user verification. This could be through a PIN or using biometrics (such as Face ID or a fingerprint scan), which adds both security and convenience. Your passkeys are stored securely in a vault, such as your device’s keychain or your password manager, and can sync across devices.

Explain the technical stuff

Passwords are a "shared secret": The value is sent over the network to the server, meaning the server needs to store information about the password that could be valuable to an attacker.

Passkeys are based on public-key cryptography, which ensures that the secret part of the credential isn’t shared with the website. No secrets are transferred.

1. An authenticator (your device) generates two cryptographic keys for each account: a public key and a private key.
2. The public key is stored on the website's server. It's not a secret.
3. The private key is stored securely in your authenticator (e.g., your phone's secure chip). It never leaves your device.
4. When you sign in, the website sends a "challenge" to your device. Your device uses the private key to "sign" the challenge and send it back. The website uses your public key to verify the signature.

This proves you have the private key without you ever revealing it. Passkeys are created using the WebAuthn API, which is implemented in all modern browsers.

How are passkeys better than passwords?

One of the biggest benefits is also one of the simplest: Passkeys, unlike passwords, don’t need to be remembered (which ends password fatigue).

The most important security benefit comes in the form of phishing-resistance.

To understand why, let’s look at how a phishing attack works. An attacker sends you to a fake website that looks legitimate (e.g., g00gle.com instead of google.com). You, the user, are tricked and enter your username and password, giving it directly to the attacker.

This simply can’t happen with passkeys. A passkey is technically bound to the original website for which it was created (google.com). When you visit the fake phishing site, your browser will not see a matching passkey, and it will not prompt you to log in. The passkey simply won't work, and you can't be tricked into giving it away.

Will passkeys replace passwords?

In short, yes—eventually. Passkeys are simply a better, more secure option. The FIDO Alliance's development of a method to sync passkeys between devices (so you aren't locked to one phone) was the final breakthrough needed for widespread adoption, which we are seeing now.

What About the Billions of Passwords We Still Have?

Passkeys are the future, but what about the present? We all have a decade or more of critical accounts built on passwords. Your primary email, your bank, your social media—these are all still protected by passwords.

Passkeys are great for new accounts or services that have been updated. They don't solve the problem of your existing accounts, especially if you get locked out.

The "Forgot Password" link is the only option, but it fails if you've also lost access to your recovery email. This creates a digital dead end. This is where the old world of passwords and the new world of AI recovery meet.

How aiipassword.com Helps in the Transition

While passkey managers (like those from Apple, Google, and password managers) are built to secure your future logins, aiipassword.com is a service designed to reclaim your past.

It is not a passkey manager. It is an AI-powered password recovery service built for your most critical, password-based accounts.

When you're locked out of a vital account (like your primary email that holds the keys to everything else) and the reset flow has failed, aiipassword.com provides a new solution.

• It's a Memory Assistant: You provide "memory clues"—fragments of passwords you might have used, like names, dates, pets, or special characters.
• It's an Intelligent Brainstormer: The AI takes your clues and intelligently combines them based on your likely patterns, brainstorming thousands of variations.
• It's Your Last Resort: It's designed to be the tool you use when all other methods have failed, bridging the gap as we slowly transition from the old password world to the new passkey future.

How do I start using passkeys?

If you’re sold on the security and convenience of passkeys, you can start using them today. A growing number of major websites support passkey login, including:

• Google
• Amazon
• GitHub
• Uber
• Kayak
• eBay

The next time you log in to one of these sites, look for the option to "Create a passkey." Your device or password manager will guide you through the 10-second process.