Recently, while updating the user authentication flow for one of my side products, I spent a lot of time contemplating the potential convenience and security promise of Passkeys. However, like any “easy” solution, I realized that Passkeys also bring certain complexities and hidden costs, involving significant trade-offs, especially in terms of security and access. While Passkeys offer clear advantages over password managers in some areas, they have the potential to create new problems concerning user experience and platform dependency.
In this post, I will explore what Passkeys are, the role of traditional password managers, and the hidden costs of convenience by comparing the security models of these two approaches. My goal is to present the strengths and weaknesses of both, sharing my perspective on how we should shape our digital authentication strategies.
What Are Passkeys and What Do They Promise?
Passkeys are passwordless authentication methods based on the WebAuthn standard developed by the FIDO Alliance and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Fundamentally, they rely on the creation of a cryptographic key pair (public/private key) securely stored on your device for each account. This key pair interacts with the server during each login attempt to verify the user’s identity.
Passkeys promise to eliminate the need for users to remember or enter complex passwords, primarily by providing superior protection against phishing attacks. For example, when logging into an application or website, instead of typing a password, you can now sign in by performing a biometric authentication (fingerprint, facial recognition) just like unlocking your phone. For someone like me, who logs into dozens of different systems daily, this sounds quite appealing.
In recent years, I had the opportunity to closely examine the potential of WebAuthn while implementing an SSO (Single Sign-On) integration in an enterprise software. The idea that users could escape password chaos and experience a more secure environment truly holds transformative potential. However, realizing this potential requires significant preparation in terms of infrastructure and user habits.
The Role of Password Managers and the Traditional Approach
Long before Passkeys appeared on the scene, the first and most fundamental problem we faced in digital security was, “too many passwords, and how do we remember them all?” This is where password managers came in, and in my opinion, they offered the most practical solution to this problem for many years. Tools like LastPass, 1Password, and Bitwarden allowed users to securely store all their passwords, generate complex and unique passwords, and easily autofill them.
Password managers fundamentally work on the principle of an encrypted vault protected by a “master password.” This master password is used to encrypt and decrypt all other passwords and sensitive data in your vault. In my own password manager, I keep a lot of sensitive data, from SSH keys for my critical servers to my payment information. This means being able to manage dozens, even hundreds, of different accounts with a single master password.
This approach encourages users to employ different and strong passwords for each site, largely eliminating a common and dangerous security vulnerability like “password reuse.” They also provide a layer of protection against phishing attempts on website or application login screens, as password managers typically only autofill on sites with the correct URL.
Security Model Comparison: Passkey vs. Password Manager
Passkeys and password managers rely on different security models, and these models have their own unique advantages and disadvantages. This comparison is critical to understanding which might be more suitable in which scenario.
Passkeys use a unique cryptographic key pair for each account, preventing a central master password from being a single point of failure. This provides very strong protection, especially against phishing attacks, because phishing sites cannot access the actual Passkey on your device. Passkeys are tied to your device and are usually protected by biometric authentication. If your device is stolen, your Passkeys remain secure if the biometric protection cannot be bypassed. However, in the event of losing your device, the access recovery process can be complex, varying by platform and provider implementation. For example, there’s a specific recovery flow for Passkeys synchronized via Apple’s iCloud Keychain or Google’s Passkey manager, but this might not always be seamless.
Password managers, on the other hand, store all passwords in an encrypted central vault. The main security point here is the master password. If an attacker gains access to your master password or finds a vulnerability in the password manager’s own systems, all your accounts could be at risk. We’ve seen security breaches in some password managers in the past, which demonstrates the potential weakness of this model. However, password managers generally offer device-independent access; meaning if you switch to a new device or lose your current one, you can regain access to your passwords as long as you know your master password. This is a significant advantage in terms of flexibility.
Password managers also offer a better solution for managing “shareable secrets.” When you need to share a server password or an API key within a team, password managers have features specifically designed for such scenarios. Passkeys, being tightly bound to personal devices, currently offer less flexibility in these types of corporate sharing scenarios.
What Are the Hidden Costs of Convenience?
While Passkeys aim to simplify the user experience by promising a passwordless future, this convenience comes with certain hidden costs and complexities. For someone like me, involved in both system administration and software development, these costs are important factors influencing my decisions.
1. Vendor Lock-in and Platform Dependency: One of the most prominent costs of Passkeys is platform dependency. Passkeys typically work integrated within specific ecosystems like Apple’s iCloud Keychain, Google’s Passkey manager, or Microsoft Authenticator. This means that if you decide to switch from an Apple phone to Android one day, or vice versa, you might struggle to seamlessly transfer your Passkeys. Even for my own side products, I have to consider special integrations to ensure this interoperability. Although open standards exist, implementations can remain tied to ecosystems.
2. Recovery Difficulties: Recovering your Passkeys in case of device loss or damage can be more complex than with password managers. With password managers, as long as you know your master password, you can access your vault from a new device. With Passkeys, the recovery flow depends on the platform provider’s backup and synchronization mechanisms. These mechanisms can sometimes be non-transparent or require additional steps for users. In a client’s system, a user accidentally deleting their Passkeys and then being unable to access their accounts, and it taking hours to resolve, showed me how critical such scenarios can be.
3. Training and Adaptation Burden: Passkeys introduce a new paradigm. It will take time for users to understand the concept of “passwordless” and how it works. Password managers already required a certain adaptation period; Passkeys take this process to a different dimension. The question “If I don’t have a password, how do I log in?” can be confusing, especially for less tech-savvy users. Even in a new ERP system, the simplest interface changes create a significant training need when users deviate from their accustomed routine. Passkeys present a similar adaptation curve.
4. Integration Complexity and Hybrid Solutions: Not every website or application will immediately support Passkeys. This means that for a long time, we will have to use both password managers and Passkeys together. This hybrid situation can create an additional cognitive load for users regarding which authentication method to use on which site. Even in my own Android spam blocker application, I have to manage old and new authentication methods together when integrating with different services.
Future Strategies and My Perspective
Given the different advantages and disadvantages offered by Passkeys and password managers, it’s important to consider how we should shape our future authentication strategies. My personal and professional approach is to adopt a hybrid model that shows flexibility depending on the situation, rather than a single “best” solution.
First, I have actively started using Passkeys for my critical and sensitive accounts. Especially for accounts most vulnerable to phishing attacks like banking, email, or cloud storage, the extra layer of security provided by Passkeys is highly valuable. The convenience of biometric authentication for these accounts is an added bonus. This means providing the strongest protection where the risk is highest.
On the other hand, I continue to use a reliable password manager for accounts that don’t support Passkeys or where platform independence is more critical for me. Password managers are not just for storing passwords; they remain an indispensable tool for managing other sensitive data such as secure notes, credit card information, and one-time codes. When I worked on an enterprise ERP project, corporate versions of password managers were critically important, especially for the IT team to centrally and securely manage access credentials for shared systems. Passkeys do not yet offer a complete solution for these “shared secret” scenarios.
Furthermore, supporting and educating users on Passkey adoption is also an important task. Transitioning to a new technology is always challenging, and we need to provide clear guidelines and support mechanisms to overcome these challenges. In my own side products or consulting projects, I make sure to offer user-friendly interfaces and clear explanations when deploying new authentication methods. Otherwise, no matter how good the security measures are, they can become ineffective if not used correctly by users.
Conclusion
Passkeys and password managers are two important players in the world of digital authentication. Passkeys have the potential to surpass password managers in terms of phishing resistance and ease of use. However, this progress also brings significant hidden costs such as platform dependency, recovery difficulties, and user adaptation. Both technologies have their unique strengths and weaknesses.