FIDO2 Security Keys vs Passkeys: How Their Modes and Attestation Differ for AAL3
Security key deployments involve three separate choices: how the key is used, how the server identifies it, and what the user sees during interaction. The relying party controls the key's behavior through the options it passes to navigator.credentials.create(), notably residentKey and userVerification settings. Both U2F-style second-factor and passkey-style on-key modes can meet NIST AAL3 at the authenticator level, though the full authentication process must also satisfy FIPS 140 validation and related requirements. Synced passkeys do not qualify because their keys are exportable, and attestation remains the only reliable way for a server to confirm genuine hardware. Attestation formats vary by key and browser, so verifiers must handle both fido-u2f and packed formats, using AAGUIDs or certificate key IDs for FIDO Metadata Service lookups; in the cited data, 81% of attested security key registrations passed the checks.
This is an AI-generated summary. ShortSingh links to the original source for the complete article.

Discussion (0)
Log in to join the discussion and vote.
Log in