Anonybit vs. Passkeys: Understanding the Difference

In the ever-evolving world of digital security, solutions to protect user identities and data are constantly emerging. One prominent approach that has gained recent attention are Passkeys, which is a device-oriented mechanism of offering passwordless authentication. Anonybit is also increasingly talked about for its holistic approach to privacy-centric identity management. While both approaches aim to secure user access and prevent fraud, they differ fundamentally in their architecture, purpose, and approach to privacy. Let’s break down how Anonybit stands out and differs from passkeys.

What Are Passkeys?

Passkeys are a new type of authentication method designed to replace traditional passwords. Spearheaded by the FIDO Alliance, passkeys use public-key cryptography to create a secure and user-friendly experience. 

Here’s how passkeys work:

The set up of Passkeys requires a device to be registered with a service provider. As part of that registration process, a pair of cryptographic keys is created – one if public; the other is private. The public key is stored on the server of the service provider, while the private key remains secured on the user’s device. A secure PIN or local biometric match (such as FaceID or TouchID) is used to unlock the private key that creates the handshake at the time of authentication.

In many circles, Passkeys are the linchpin to a future without passwords. They allow users to authenticate their identity through their device, using the private key to prove ownership, eliminating the need for passwords, reducing the risk of phishing, credential theft, and brute-force attacks. However, the private key is still tied to the device, which creates challenges for users who switch devices frequently or lose access to their hardware. Because Passkeys are device oriented and can use PINs which are easily phished or transferred, they also do not validate the actual identity of the person unlocking the private key. Finally, Passkeys are also not applicable in scenarios where users share devices.

What Makes Anonybit Different?

Anonybit approaches the identity and security problem from a unique angle, focusing on biometric privacy and authentication through the use of multi-party computation and zero-knowledge proofs. Unlike Passkeys, Anonybit does not rely on single-point key storage on devices.

Instead, Anonybit ingests biometric data, shards it into anonymized bits and distributes the shards in a multi-party environment where they are kept and never retrieved, even for matching. During the authentication process, the new biometric sample is also broken down into shards and the new shards are compared against their stored counterparts.

Here’s what makes Anonybit stand out:

• Biometric Data Fragmentation: Anonybit is designed to handle biometric data in a highly secure and privacy-preserving way. Instead of storing the user’s biometric template in a centralized database (which could be a target for hackers), Anonybit shards the biometric data into small, meaningless pieces using Multi-Party Computation (MPC). These fragments are distributed across a decentralized network, ensuring that no single piece contains enough information to reconstruct the original biometric data.
• Decentralized Identity Proofing: Passkeys store private keys on devices, which makes them vulnerable to an attacker who can compromise the device. In contrast, Anonybit uses Zero Knowledge Proofs to allow users to prove their identity without revealing sensitive information. This means users can authenticate themselves without sharing the actual biometric data or any key that can be directly compromised. Anonybit’s decentralized architecture adds an extra layer of resilience against attacks, even from insiders.
• Privacy by Design: While passkeys aim to simplify the user experience by eliminating passwords, they don’t inherently protect biometric privacy at a granular level. There have been a number of reported attacks on device biometrics and as the adoption of Passkeys increase, the effectiveness and pervasiveness of these attacks are also expected to increase. Anonybit, however, is built with privacy at its core, ensuring that even if a breach occurs, the attacker would only have access to meaningless fragments, with no way to reconstruct a full biometric profile.

When to Use Anonybit vs. Passkeys

• Use Passkeys: If you’re looking for a quick, passwordless login solution with minimal setup, Passkeys offer a simple and secure way to manage device-based authentication, especially in environments where password fatigue is a concern and or the transaction is low risk and validating who is behind a device/transaction is not mission-critical.
• Use Anonybit: When strong authentication is essential, such as for step up authentication and account resets, or in scenarios with shared devices or BYOD where registering a device to a server is not feasible or practical (like retail workstations, payment terminals, call centers, etc.), Anonybit provides unparalleled privacy protection while ensuring a person is who they claim to be using the strongest authentication factor – the inherence factor.

How Anonybit and Passkeys Can Complement Each Other

While Anonybit and Passkeys take different approaches to security, they can actually complement each other in creating a more robust and holistic authentication system. Here’s how these two technologies can work together to enhance security and privacy:

• Ensuring identity integrity: Beyond authentication, Anonybit offers a powerful deduplication and blocklisting capability that uses biometric lookup services to ensure people are not enrolled or registered into a system under multiple names or if they have been blocked for any reason.
• Strengthening device-based authentication: Passkeys are designed to replace passwords by allowing secure, passwordless logins via public-private key pairs. However, passkeys typically rely on a single device to store the private key. If the device is lost or compromised, recovering access can be difficult. This is where Anonybit’s decentralized biometric cloud can enhance security. By integrating Anonybit’s authentication process, you can add an additional layer of verification that doesn’t depend on the user’s device alone.
• Streamlined recovery processes: One of the challenges with Passkeys is that if a user loses their device, recovering the private key (and thus their accounts) can be complex. By integrating Anonybit’s decentralized biometrics, users could recover access by verifying their identity biometrically, even without needing the original device. This recovery process would be far more secure than traditional recovery methods that might involve answering security questions or resetting through email. 
• Secure Passkey storage: Anonybit can enhance the Passkey system by offering secure, decentralized storage of the private key fragments. Instead of storing the private key entirely on the user’s device, Anonybit can fragment and distribute the passkey (or its critical components) across its decentralized network, just as it does for biometric data. These fragments alone are meaningless, but when reassembled in a secure process, the Passkey can be recovered securely without relying on centralized storage. In this case, the Passkey can also be bound to the user’s biometric ensuring that only the authorized person has access to their Passkey. This capability also helps to streamline account recovery processes as noted above. For example, in case a user loses access to their device, they can recover their passkey by biometrically authenticating through Anonybit’s network. Since Anonybit handles both the fragmented biometric data and the Passkey fragments, the user can regain access seamlessly by proving their identity without requiring the physical device. This eliminates the need for complex recovery protocols, like backup keys or lengthy support interactions.
• Shared device scenarios: In environments where multiple users access the same device (such as a family tablet or a shared work terminal), Anonybit can manage individual passkey storage for each user by linking each Passkey to their unique biometric identity. This allows for seamless switching between users, as each individual can securely retrieve their own Passkey by authenticating through their biometric data. Anonybit’s decentralized storage ensures that no full passkey is ever stored on any device, reducing the risk of compromise.

By adding this functionality, Anonybit can bolster the convenience and security of Passkeys, making them more resilient in scenarios involving device loss, account recovery, and shared access. The combination offers users the best of both worlds: the ease of Passkey authentication with the robust security and privacy of decentralized data management. 

A Unified Approach for the Future

While both Anonybit and Passkeys represent significant advancements in digital security, their approaches differ in key areas. Passkeys focus on eliminating passwords through public-private key pairs, improving the user experience and reducing certain types of attacks. Anonybit, on the other hand, takes privacy and security to the next level by decentralizing biometric data and ensuring no single entity holds enough information to compromise user identities.

As privacy concerns continue to grow and cyberattacks become more sophisticated, the need for secure and privacy-focused solutions like Anonybit will only increase. The future of identity authentication lies in these advanced technologies, and understanding the differences between them and how they work together is crucial for designing an identity solution that will protect your enterprise from today’s cyberthreats.