Passkeys in Linken Sphere for Secure Passwordless Login

Traditional passwords are vulnerable to leaks and phishing, while one-time codes slow down the login process and rely on SMS or email. When working with a large number of accounts, this kind of authorization quickly turns into a routine.

Meet Passkeys — a built-in cryptographic key storage in Linken Sphere with cross-device synchronization. Passwordless authorization that is resistant to hacking and significantly increases session trust.

What is a Passkey

A passkey is a cryptographic key for logging into a website without a password.

During registration, a key pair is created. The private key remains in the encrypted Linken Sphere storage, while the public key is saved on the website's side. During authorization, the website sends a request that can only be confirmed using the private key. After this, access to the account is granted without entering a password or a one-time code.

Passkeys are resistant to phishing: the key is linked to the website's domain and will not work on a fake page. At the same time, the website does not store a shared secret that could be stolen from a database and reused.

Why Passkeys are becoming the standard

The technology is already supported by Apple, Google, Microsoft, major browsers, and third-party password managers. Against this backdrop, phishing, automated attacks, and the cost of account recovery are growing. For websites, Passkeys mean fewer account takeovers, faster logins, and fewer support requests. According to the FIDO Alliance, around 5 billion Passkeys will be in use by 2026.

For security systems, a Passkey also confirms user control over the account at every login. In scenarios where a website takes this signal into account, regular authorization using a registered key looks more natural than constantly entering a password.

How to use Passkeys

The built-in storage is available to all users of the current version of Linken Sphere and requires no additional configuration.

1. Create a key. Open the Passkey settings on the desired website and select LS from the list of available storages.
2. Log in to the account. During your next authorization on this website, select the required Passkey from the list.

You can manage keys in the session settings: Access management > Passkeys. 

Here you can change the name of the key for convenience, view the domain for which the key was issued, or delete outdated records.

The name is visible only in Linken Sphere and is not transmitted to the website, so changing it does not affect the key's operation.

Synchronization under your control

Passkeys are synchronized along with the Passwords and passkeys storage. As with other profile data, Linken Sphere allows you to manage each data type separately.

Enable synchronization if you need to continue working with the same keys across multiple devices. If you work with sensitive accounts or crypto wallets, disable the upload of Passwords and passkeys to the server. In this mode, keys and passwords remain only on your local computer.

You choose which data should be available across devices and which should remain local. For additional protection, continue to follow basic security rules and control access to the computer itself.

Flawless emulation

Superficial support for Passkeys is not enough: security systems can detect mismatches in the flags and behavior of the emulated authenticator. Therefore, Linken Sphere reproduces not only the fact of key creation itself but also the mechanics of popular storages used by regular devices.

The system automatically selects the authenticator for emulation depending on your session's platform. For Windows, this will be Windows Hello, for macOS and iOS — Apple Passwords, and for Android — Google Password Manager.

Along with the storage name, its characteristic parameters, flags, and behavior during the authentication process are emulated. Passkeys work on desktop and mobile configurations of Android and iOS without manual provider selection.

You can check the result yourself on the Passkey Demo by Authgear. Create a key in a new session and examine attestationObject: the authenticator identifier, flags, and behavior will match the selected configuration.

Conclusion

Passkeys replace outdated passwords and SMS codes. Linken Sphere stores keys inside the session, synchronizes them according to your rules, and automatically matches the authenticator to a real device.

You get instant login to websites, reliable protection against phishing, and maximum trust from security systems. Fewer checks. More successful authorizations.