Almost two months after it was first announced, Yubico has launched the YubiKey 5Ci, a security key with dual support for both iPhones, Macs and other USB-C compatible devices.
Yubico’s latest Yubikey is the latest iteration of its security key built to support a newer range of devices, including Apple’s iPhone, iPad, and MacBooks in a single device. Announced in June, the company said the security keys would cater for cross-platform users, particularly Apple device owners.
That means you may not have to remember your password for your bank ever again, just plug the YubiKey into your iPhone, use it to log into the 1Password app and get that bank password. At launch, it’ll support these well-known password managers and single sign-on tools: 1Password, Bitwarden, Dashlane, Idaptive, LastPass, and Okta. And when using the Brave browser for iOS, the YubiKey 5Ci can be used as an easier way to log into Twitter, GitHub, 1Password’s web app, and a couple of other services.
These security keys are small enough to sit on a keyring. When you want to login to an online account, you plug in the key to your device and it authenticates you. Your Gmail, Twitter, and Facebook account all support these plug-in devices as a second-factor authentication after your username and password, a far stronger mechanism than the simple code sent to your phone.
Security keys offer almost unbeatable security and can protect against a variety of threats, including nation-state attackers.
Jerrod Chong, Yubico’s chief solutions officer, said the new key would fill a “critical gap in the mobile authentication ecosystem,” particularly given how users are increasingly spending their time across a multitude of mobile devices.
The new key works with a range of apps, including password managers like 1Password and LastPass, and web browsers like Brave, which support security key authentication.
