Password: The user heads to a website and enters a username and password recognised by that site.

In simple terms, a U2F process looks like this: While those users still need passwords to kick off the process, they must also have a physical device with them to complete your authorisation steps. Think of Universal 2 nd Factor as a new security gateway people must pass through to get to protected resources. The open-source standards eventually came under the heading of the FIDO Alliance, which continues maintenance and administration today. In 2014, the standards were proposed in a partnership between: Blogs with titles such as ' The Plot to Kill the Password' kept interest alive. Experts weren't sure how the tools would work, but excitement was building. In 2012, rumors of a Google project that used key fobs to replace standard keyword entries began appearing on industry blogs. Universal 2 nd Factor works in a similar manner, and it's something advocates have long pushed for. As bloggers explain, each time you must use a bank card and a PIN, you've used two sets of data to get into something you need. Most consumers know at least something about two-factor authentication. Some even demand this protection to keep their data safe and secure.

More users are growing accustomed to the idea of cryptographic keys.

The FIDO U2F protocol was developed in 2014, and since then, the standards have been honed, refined, and updated. A password starts the process, but the digital key is required to gain access. The U2F protocol allows you to send a cryptographic challenge to a device (typically a key fob) owned by the user. How can you protect your company when passwords just aren't enough? What secondary challenge can you offer that's almost (but not quite) immune to hacking?

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