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The FIDO Alliance has taken a big step toward improving the password experience by unveiling two new draft specifications: the Credential Exchange Protocol (CXP) and the Credential Exchange Format (CXF). These proposals aim to address a key issue slowing enterprise password adoption: vendor lock-in. While passwords offer a strong alternative to traditional passwords, their current implementation leaves users locked into specific platforms or password managers, making it difficult to switch between services without completely reworking their password setup.
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About Apple @ Work: Bradley Chambers managed the enterprise IT network from 2009 to 2021. Using his experience deploying and managing firewalls, switches, mobile device management, enterprise Wi-Fi, thousands of Macs, and thousands of iPads, Bradley will cover the ways Apple IT managers deploy Apple devices, build the networks to support them, train users, stories from the front lines of IT management, and how Apple can improve its products for IT departments.
Passwords offer a much more secure and convenient method of authentication, eliminating the need for traditional passwords that are constantly being cracked. Instead of storing and managing long strings of characters, passwords use cryptographic methods (Face ID, Touch ID, etc.) to verify users' identities across devices and services. The benefits of passwords are easy to see — they are resistant to phishing and generally more secure than regular passwords. However, the current state of the technology comes with a significant trade-off: portability across platforms is really hard.
The new CXP and CXF specifications aim to address these limitations by creating a standardized, secure way to transfer passwords between different password managers without deleting and re-adding them from each platform. Currently, if you decide to switch from one password manager to another, such as from 1Password to Apple Passwords, you have to delete the password from the old service and then manually set it up again in the new one. It can be done, but it's a pain.
Customers can migrate their passwords across these new standards without compromising security or going through manual processes. The credential exchange protocol will handle the secure transfer of credentials between different platforms, while the credential exchange format will ensure that these credentials are readable and usable across different services. This system is expected to provide a seamless and secure experience for users looking to switch platforms.
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Companies like Dashlane and 1Password have already begun collaborating with the FIDO Alliance to implement these standards. This collaboration is critical to encouraging password adoption by making them more user-friendly.
Additionally, by standardizing the management and distribution of passwords, the new FIDO Alliance specifications will help businesses and consumers gain more freedom to choose the best tools for their needs without being locked into a single ecosystem. Over time, this will lead to greater adoption of passwords, further pushing back the move away from passwords, which are often the weakest link in personal and organizational security.
9to5Mac's Take
While passwords represent a significant advance in authentication security, they currently have a significant drawback: vendor lock-in. Switching between platforms like 1Password, Dashlane, or Apple Passwords is not a smooth process today. Users are forced to manually delete and re-add passwords, making switching password managers a cumbersome and inefficient task. For those managing many credentials, this lack of portability creates friction and can prevent users from fully embracing the technology. It’s much easier to export a CSV file and re-import it than to move passwords.
The new FIDO Alliance specifications aim to change this, promising an easier and more secure way to move passwords between platforms. I like to see Dashlane and 1Password collaborating on this, too. Yes, it makes it easier to ditch their services, but it also makes it easier to switch to their services. You never want to keep a customer because they’re having a hard time leaving. You want to retain your customer because you offer a better solution to their problem. I love Passkeys, I think it’s the future of passwords and it’s a major improvement.
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Apple@Work is brought to you exclusively by Mosyle, Apple’s only unified platform. Mosyle is the only solution that brings together in one professional platform all the solutions you need to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage, and secure Apple devices at work. More than 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to provision millions of Apple devices effortlessly and affordably. Request an EXTENDED TRIAL today and see why Mosyle is everything you need for your Apple experience.
