AWS Identity and Access Management now supports passkey as a second authentication factor

The article discusses AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) now supporting passkeys for multi-factor authentication (MFA). Passkeys are more secure and user-friendly than traditional passwords, providing phishing-resistant authentication through public key cryptography.

Specifically, the article covers:

• Passkeys use FIDO standards and can be created with a hardware security key or chosen passkey provider using biometrics like fingerprint or facial recognition
• Passkeys sync across devices and can be used to sign in to AWS accounts
• IAM now allows securing AWS account access using passkeys for MFA, alongside other supported MFA methods like security keys
• The feature is available in all AWS regions except China, and aims to enhance MFA usability and recoverability as a security best practice
• AWS will be enhancing MFA requirements in 2024, with passkey support being a step in that direction