Adding another layer of security to your accounts is always worthwhile, especially given the rise in phishing and hacking attempts over the years
What you should know:
During the Aspen Cyber Summit, Google unveiled two new Titan Security Keys. These new Security Keys are available with either USB-C or USB-A connections and still support NFC and fingerprint authentication. What distinguishes these is that they can now “store more than 250 unique passkeys.”
Companies such as Google, Apple, and Microsoft have introduced new and innovative ways to keep our accounts secure in recent years. Google has been offering different versions of its Titan Security Keys since 2018, and new versions are on the way.
From the outside, there isn’t much difference between this and previous Security Keys, as both USB-C and USB-A are still available. Instead, Google is now allowing you to use these dongles to store and protect your various passkeys. Google stated: at the Aspen Cyber Summit that these Security Keys can be used to store “more than 250 unique passkeys.”
When you add a passkey to your Google account, you’ll be prompted to create a “simple PIN code that can be used instead of a password,” according to the company. Both versions of the new Titan Security Key, as expected, rely on FIDO2, providing the same level of security for your accounts.
Google also announced in the accompanying blog post that it would “committing 100,000 security keys to high-risk users in 2024.” This is the same number of security keys that the company distributed throughout 2023 to campaign workers, activists, and journalists.
Google has already replaced the old versions with these new variants on its virtual storefront as of this writing. The USB-A version costs $30, while the USB-C model costs $35. You can’t buy either version right now because the “Buy” button is greyed out. However, if you click on this link, you can join the waitlist and be notified when these become available for purchase.
The new Titan Security Keys resemble their predecessors in appearance. These new versions, however, include passkey support while still working with virtually any device imaginable.