Popular password manager company, Bitwarden, is introducing a new form of 2FA for each of its plans, advancing its adoption of passkeys.
The company is adding FIDO2 WebAuthn two-factor authentication to its plans starting in late September. This web-based API allows Bitwarden (and other websites) to add FIDO-based authentication to its login pages.
This form of passkey support has been adopted by many other major password managers (like 1Password and Dashlane, however, Bitwarden stands out by including this advanced 2FA in all of its plans, as well as its free plan.
“After you login to Bitwarden you will be asked for your FIDO2 WebAuthn credential to authenticate and access your account,” Bitwarden explains in a recent blog post. “This second step for logging in protects your account from unauthorized access.”
You can store up to 5 WebAuthn 2FA keys at once — Bitwarden recommends using at least two keys for two devices, in case one is forgotten.
The new 2FA passkey system is also practical for businesses that need to protect their company logins and make sure that employees have every password they need on hand.
“A report from 451 Research shows that businesses can drive password management adoption at work by deploying a password manager that can be used for both work and business, driving protection and preventing data breaches,” the company states.
Users still have quite a few options for their 2FA. You can generate your WebAuthn passkeys in two ways.
- Device-bound passwords. You can use modern features like Windows Hello, YubiKeys, SoloKeys, and other third-party hardware keys to keep your password device-bound.
- Synced passwords. Third-party passkey companies sync your passkeys across multiple devices to make it more convenient for the user.
Besides advanced 2FA, Bitwarden is working on the complete adoption of passkey technology.
“Bitwarden will bring passkeys into the Bitwarden Password Manager alongside other vault items, allowing users to quickly and securely log into websites and applications,” Bitwarden said. “Shortly following, users will be able to log into Bitwarden itself using passkeys.”
These new features are available on the newest version of Bitwarden.