GitHub launches public beta of passkey authentication feature for enhanced account security

GitHub, the software development platform, has launched the public beta of its passkey authentication feature. This news follows a series of similar announcements from password managers. The company's objective is to enhance account security without compromising user experience, as stated in a recent blog post. The post further highlighted that most security breaches occur due to social engineering, credential theft or leakage, and other such low-cost attacks, rather than exotic zero-day attacks.

Passkeys aim to improve upon traditional security keys by providing easier configuration and improved recoverability. This feature offers a secure, privacy-preserving, and user-friendly method to safeguard your accounts, while reducing the likelihood of account lockouts.

To activate passkeys on your GitHub account, you must go to the 'Settings' sidebar, find the 'Feature Preview' tab, and select 'enable passkeys'. After enabling this feature, you can upgrade eligible security keys to passkeys and register new passkeys.