Security is important to us, but so is user experience. With passkeys, the two can go hand in hand on your LMS. 

With more and more businesses adopting passkeys, it’s no surprise to hear that BuildEmpire is now also adopting the technology. 

We’ve made the move as we continue to strive for better user experience, and better security. 

Keep reading to learn: 

• What passkeys are 
• How passkeys work
• What the difference is between passkeys and passwords 
• Which is better: passkeys or passwords
• Plus, how BuildEmpire are using passkeys in our platforms 

Let’s get started. 

What are passkeys? 

A passkey is a digital credential that a user can set up to connect a user account to a website or application. 

💡 Pro Tip

Passkeys now come, as standard, as part of our core LMS offering. Book a demo to see what else we’ve created to help take your platform to the next level. 

Passkeys allow users to login without having to enter a username or password. 

Passkey authentication is requires either biometrics ie a fingerprint or facial recognition, or a PIN or swipe pattern to gain access. 

This technology aims to replace mechanisms such as passwords. 

Passkeys use the Web Authentication API security standard meaning that each key is unique and encrypted. 

How does a passkey work?

Passkeys are created using an API called Web Authentication. Instead of a password, this uses public and private keys to verify you are who you say you are. 

You never have to share your private key, and your public key is useless for phishing.

When you create a passkey, the website will ask you to confirm your authenticator, this could be your phone or laptop. 

The next time you want to sign in, your device will ask you to authenticate using your face or fingerprint. 

And you will not be asked for your password.

What are the benefits of passkeys?

• Never forget your password again as you can sign in with you face, fingerprint or PIN.
• Access to next-generation security as you no longer need to worry about stolen or hacked security
• Easy sign-in across all of your devices for ease of access

What’s the difference between a password and a passkey? 

Passwords are the original form of security. It’s a string of letter, numbers and symbols used and remembered by a user alongside a user ID to gain access to websites or applications. 

Here’s a breakdown of the difference between a password and a passkey: 

Password:

•  A password is a secret word or phrase that a user must provide to gain access to a system, network, or specific resource.
•  Passwords are usually a combination of characters, including letters, numbers, and symbols.
•  They are commonly used for authentication purposes to verify the identity of the user.
•  Passwords can be set by users themselves or assigned by administrators.
•  In the context of online accounts, passwords are often required to be changed periodically to enhance security.

Passkey:

• Passkeys are stored and remembered on your phone or computer 
• Passkeys use the biometrics or security PIN on your device to give access to other websites or applications 
• Once passkeys are set up, they do not need to be reset and remain secure 

While both passkeys and passwords serve as means of authentication, passkeys are starting to be adopted by technology firms in order to provide greater breadth of security and user experience. 

Which is better: passkeys or passwords? 

Passkeys are simpler than passwords, and can be more secure as they can resist password hijacking and phishing attacks. 

Passkeys can also be stored in the cloud. 

So, if you lose your phone or laptop, you can still access the passkeys through another device. 

You do have to prove it’s you, by entering a PIN code on your laptop, or go through some kind of biometrics to complete the login. 

However, it’s not the same as having to remember numerous passwords, or store passwords in a password manager which can then be stolen and used by someone else to gain access to an app or website. 

How will BuildEmpire’s passkeys work? 

BuildEmpire now offers passkeys as part of its core platform. 

That means your users can log on simply and easily. 

All they need to do is create a passkey via their phone or computer, and then login to that device each time they wish to log into the LMS. 

Why is this helpful? 

How much time do you waste as an administrator resetting passwords? With this tool, you won’t need to worry about users getting logged out and can save time resetting access. 

You can also rest assured that with passkeys in place, you’re less susceptible to data breaches as there’s no password information to collect. 

Given we are ISO 27001 compliant, it’s no surprise that security is of paramount importance to us. 
Book a demo to see other core features of our platform, or check out some of our key solutions.