“For end users, the support means being able to implement greater security when authenticating online.”

WebAuthn, the component of the FIDO2 authentication standard that pertains to biometric or security key-based authentication through web browsers, is gaining traction: Apple has enabled support for WebAuthn in its latest Safari Technology Preview for macOS, and Twitter and Coinbase have both enabled support as well.

The developments come after the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) made WebAuthn an official web standard in March. And Apple’s, Twitter’s, and Coinbase’s support complement that of the other major web browsers, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge.

For end users, the support means being able to implement greater security when authenticating online. Rather than a password, users can verify their identities by tapping a USB key or other security key, or performing a biometric scan.

Celebrating the developments in a new blog post, Yubico CEO Stina Ehrensvard notes that WebAuthn also recently won the award for Best Future Technology and Standard Project at the European Identity Conference. That was a big win for everyone involved in developing the standard, including Yubico, which received the award on behalf of its fellow FIDO2 authors. And it’s all good news for internet users, who now have more acclaimed tools at their disposal to fend off would-be hackers and fraudsters.