How to Transition to a Fully Passwordless Environment With Keeper, Passkeys and SSO

Passwordless authentication is a security method that allows a user to gain access to a system without entering a traditional password. Instead, it relies on alternative means of verification, such as biometric data (like fingerprints or facial recognition), hardware tokens or one-time codes sent to a trusted device. By eliminating the need for users to remember and input passwords, passwordless authentication aims to enhance both security and the user experience– reducing vulnerabilities associated with weak or reused passwords and streamlining the login process.

Because of these benefits, passwordless authentication initiatives have become a top priority for organizations of all sizes and types. However, many teams are wary of changing from legacy systems due to perceived cost and user adoption barriers.

By integrating Keeper with Single Sign-On (SSO) and biometric solutions, organizations can easily and cost-effectively achieve a fully passwordless experience for their employees.

• Keeper provides a secure digital vault that stores, manages and autofills passwords and passkeys.
• Keeper integrates with Single Sign-On (SSO) providers, enabling users to access their vault records without entering a master password via their SSO provider. 
• Keeper integrates with passwordless providers, enabling users to access their vaults without the use of a master password.

What Is Passwordless Authentication?

Authentication traditionally uses one of three factors: something you know, something you have or something you are. Combining multiple factors to prove your identity increases protection for your accounts.

Something You Know (Knowledge Factors):

• This is the most common factor of authentication and includes things like passwords, PINs (Personal Identification Numbers) and answers to “secret questions.”
• Knowledge factors can be easily compromised if someone manages to guess or steal this information. For instance, weak or commonly used passwords can be cracked using brute-force attacks.

Something You Have (Possession Factors):

• This factor pertains to something physical that the user possesses. Examples include smart cards, hardware tokens, security tokens (like RSA SecurID) or a smartphone (used for SMS codes or authentication apps like Google Authenticator).
• Possession factors are vulnerable to physical theft or loss. If someone steals your smart card or phone, they might gain unauthorized access. However, combining this with another factor (like a password) can mitigate such risks.

Something You Are (Inherence Factors):

• This factor is based on biometrics, which are unique physical or behavioral attributes of an individual. Examples include fingerprints, facial recognition, voice recognition, iris scans and even behavioral biometrics like typing patterns.
• The main challenge with biometrics is the need for specialized hardware (like fingerprint scanners) and the potential for false positives or negatives. However, hardware support for biometrics has grown rapidly in recent years.

“Passwordless” refers to authentication methods that do not rely on knowledge factors (specifically, passwords) and instead utilize possession and inherence factors. A passwordless authentication process has several advantages including a streamlined user experience, reduced support costs and enhanced security. 

The Challenge of Going Passwordless

While the idea of eliminating passwords is enticing, implementing it in practice is not straightforward. Organizations need to ensure the alternative methods of authentication they adopt are not only secure, but also user-friendly. 

Additional barriers include the following:

• Interoperability issues can arise, especially if the organization uses a mix of legacy and modern systems or if third-party integrations don’t support passwordless methods.  
• Many passwordless systems rely on applications as a primary access method. This can add complications when users get new devices or their battery dies.
• Account recovery will sometimes end up with passwords as a backup until you can re-establish the passwordless component.
• Many systems, applications and websites still require some form of passwords. 

Passkeys Will Help Enable Passwordless Future

Before delving further, it’s essential to understand what passkeys are. In the context of digital security, a passkey is a unique set of characters, much like a password, used to gain access to specific digital resources. However, passkeys have several security and usability advantages over traditional passwords.

• Passkeys are phishing-resistant
• Passkeys will only autofill on only the matching website domain
• Passkeys rely on highly secure cryptography

In essence, passkeys are the next evolution of traditional passwords. They are more secure and easier to use. Just like with traditional passwords, though, employees need a secure place to store them. Keeper manages passwords and passkeys in a secure and user-friendly vault, allowing employees to easily access their passkeys across different browsers and operating systems. Keeper autofills passkeys for users, creating a seamless login experience.

The Role of Single Sign-On and Identity Providers (IdP)

Many organizations use SSO and IdP solutions. These platforms allow users to authenticate once and gain access to multiple applications. By centralizing authentication, users no longer need to remember multiple passwords, reducing the risk of password-related breaches.

Keeper seamlessly integrates with any SAML 2.0 compatible identity provider, such as Microsoft Azure, Okta, Ping, Google Workspace and more. Keeper offers two different SSO implementations, SSO Connect Cloud and SSO Connect On-Prem. Both implementations provide zero-knowledge encryption with seamless authentication for end users.

Many IdPs also support passwordless authentication. With passwordless authentication enabled, users can authenticate into their IdP via an inherence factor (such as a fingerprint or face scan), access applications and websites connected to their SSO provider and use Keeper to autofill passwords or passkeys on any website application or system not covered by SSO.

Integrating Keeper With Passwordless Systems 

Keeper connects SSO, IdP and passwordless solutions with passkey management to provide a seamless and secure login experience. 

Keeper SSO Connect is a patented solution that enables users to integrate Keeper’s password and passkey management capabilities with any SSO vendor using standard SAML 2.0 (Security Assertion Markup Language) authentication. 

Keeper SSO Connect also integrates with all popular passwordless platforms that support SAML 2.0 including Trusona, Veridium, HYPR, Secret Double Octopus, Traitware, Beyond Identity and PureID.

Keeper supports the use of passkeys via a browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave and Safari. Mobile passkey support is coming soon for both Android and iOS.

By combining passkey management with SSO, biometrics or both, organizations can achieve full coverage, security and control across every application and website without end users ever needing to enter a password. 

Schedule a demo today and embrace a passwordless future with Keeper.