Yubico announce security keys with fingerprint readers to enhance security

Yubico have revealed new security keys which can now read fingerprints. As a part of the company’s YubiKey Bio Series, the product is the first of its keys with biometric authentication, enabling passwordless and second-factor logins.

The keys can be used on desktop platforms that support WebAuthn, such as Windows, macOS, Chrome OS, and Linux operating systems and Chromium-based browsers including Edge and Chrome. Alongside the Yubico Authenticator for Desktop App, users can add and remove fingerprints. If the fingerprint reader for some reason fails, a PIN can be used instead.

YubiKey Bio devices support FIDO2/WebAuthn and U2F protocols, as well as a YubiEnterprise subscription service. Users will be able to use the same key for a variety of operating systems and desktop devices. It’ll work with any app or service that supports FIDO protocols, including Citrix Workspace, GitHub, IBM Security Verify and Microsoft 365.

Yubico opted for a three-chip architecture, which allows it to store fingerprint data separately on a secure element. The company states that this provides “enhanced protection from physical attacks.”

Yubikey Bio keys are available from Yubico’s website in either USB-A or USB-C formats. The USB-A model costs $80 and the USB-C is $85.