London, UK. 5 December 2022 – Bitwarden, the open source password manager trusted by millions, has unveiled a new passwordless authentication feature. This aims to make it easier and faster for users to access their Bitwarden vaults. This announcement reinforces the Bitwarden commitment to help customers protect sensitive information at every point of their passwordless experience.
The new mechanism uses a public and private key exchange between the web vault and a recognised, authorised mobile device. Users can bypass entering their main password by simply approving a notification through their Bitwarden mobile application. Once approved, a user automatically gains access to their web vault.
Passwordless security built on encryption frameworks
The foundation of a secure architecture starts with zero knowledge, end-to-end encryption, ensuring all information stored in a Bitwarden vault remains encrypted and cannot be viewed by anyone but authorised users. The new passwordless authentication process builds on the same uncompromising foundation that puts user security at the forefront.
For example, the communication between the web vault and the authorised mobile device is encrypted from the start, before it ever leaves the device. In addition, a fingerprint phrase mechanism requires exact match before the web vault can be unlocked. This helps ensure the user doesn’t approve a request they don’t recognise.
Meeting the surge of demand for passwordless options
Passwordless is here according to the Bitwarden 2023 Password Decisions Survey, nearly 50% of companies plan to deploy passwordless technologies, with 40% citing ‘better security’ as a core reason.
Enterprises look to the continuum of security, convenience, and ease of use when it comes to passwordless adoption. These principles remain core tenants of the Bitwarden user experience. Innovations around biometrics, security keys, and integrations with enterprise SSO all enable Bitwarden to offer passwordless authentication options, helping customers reduce password entry and streamlining user experience.
As a member of the FIDO Alliance and a proponent of a safer internet for everyone, Bitwarden is committed to developing open source, scalable, and secure passwordless solutions to every business and user.
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