Understanding FIDO2 for a secure, passwordless future – a John Craddock webinar recording

Now you can trust FIDO too – view the video to find out more!

Back in the 1850s, before he became president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln named his dog FIDO. FIDO stems from the Latin meaning “to trust or confide in”. An apt choice for a dog’s name, but little did he know that 165 years later, we would be trusting in our FIDO2 security keys.

Today, FIDO stands for Fast IDentity Online.

A secure, passwordless future with FIDO2

Passwords are the weakest link in authentication ecosystems; however, in many cases, they are the only way to authenticate a user. FIDO2 changes that with the implementation of internet scalable protocols that will allow users to authenticate using passwordless strong authentication to websites and services.

If you’re wondering how FIDO2 works, and you’ve been searching for information about what it is and why we can trust it, you might have become buried in a myriad of FIDO-related acronyms! U2F, UAF, CTAP, and WebAuthN to name just a few. (To discover what these mean, read on…)

In this recording of a webinar (broadcast February 2020), international identity guru John Craddock cuts through the jargon with simple, clear, and techie explanations of FIDO2. He explains why the world needs it, and why you need to know about it! You’ll discover:

  • Why your passwords are vulnerable
  • How FIDO2 will protect your systems and lead to a more secure future
  • The inner workings of FIDO2

The recording is suitable for system administrators, security and identity architects, and anyone who needs to understand how FIDO2 works.  If you want to learn about security keys that are as trustworthy as Abe’s dog, then view this webinar recording now. You’d be barking mad not to!

Some great questions were asked during the webinar, which due to time constraints, John didn’t get a chance to answer. You can now find the answers in John’s FIDO2 Q&A blog.

What is FIDO2?

FIDO2 is an open authentication standard that consists of the W3C Web Authentication specification, WebAuthn API (Application Programming Interface), and the Client to Authentication Protocol (CTAP). FIDO stands for Fast IDentity Online and FIDO2 is a term for the combination of WebAuthn and CTAP. FIDO2 is a system of passwordless authentication. It uses public-key cryptography, which authenticates you using a pair of cryptographic keys: a private key that’s a secret, and a public key that isn’t.

Acronym buster!

  • U2F = Universal 2nd Factor the original FIDO project that strengthens and simplifies two-factor authentication (2FA)
  • UAF = Universal Authentication Framework part of the original FIDO project to provide passwordless authentication.
  • CTAP = Client To Authenticator Protocol defines how to communicate between browsers, operating systems, and external authenticators (FIDO Security Keys, mobile devices) for a passwordless, second-factor, or multi-factor authentication experience.
  • WebAuthN = Web Authentication is a web standard published by the World Wide Web Consortium. It is a core component of FIDO2.

Read more about FIDO2 in thIS Blog on John’s website

john craddockAbout John Craddock

John Craddock is an internationally renowned identity guru and Microsoft ‘Most Valued Professional’.

John has been involved in Microsoft solutions since the early days of Windows and Windows NT, and has focused on identity solutions since the first release of AD FS for Windows Server 2003. He has been involved in numerous IT projects for industry leaders including Microsoft, the UK Government, and multi-nationals. He is a globally acclaimed speaker who has presented at hundreds of events throughout the world, including at Microsoft Ignite where he speaks annually to packed auditoriums.

John’s acclaimed Identity Masterclass is now available via Zoom in