Federated identity

Users were understandably annoyed at having to take their very expensive headsets back to the Apple Store to fix the password problem.Illustration: Jody Serrano / GizmodoImagine buying a new $3,500 Apple Vision Pro headset only to discover that, drat, you forgot the password. This very relatable scenario—who hasn’t forgotten a password in their life?—has become a reality for some Vision Pro users in recent days. Apple’s response: Uh, sorry, you can’t fix it at home. The M3 MacBook Pro: Made Dark for HalloweenOver on…

Okta announced on Tuesday that hackers who breached its systems in October stole details about every user of the identity management service’s customer support platform, contradicting the company’s announcement in early November that only one percent of users were affected.Like It or Not, Your Doctor Will Use AI | AI UnlockedThe stolen data includes the names and email addresses of every client in Okta’s customer support database, as well as details about some of the company’s own employees. Okta reportedly sent its…

The future is passkeys, not passwords: Google accounts are the latest to make the switch, following similar moves by Apple and Microsoft over the last couple of years (with other smaller names also making the switch). It means more convenience and more security for your account, and no need to have to remember dozens of lengthy passwords.How to Hide Your Sensitive Images in Google PhotosEssentially, a passkey means that the device you’re using (typically your phone or laptop) proves your identity with whatever screen lock…

Google has announced what it calls the “beginning of the end” for passwords, rolling out a new security mechanism that it says will ultimately come to replace PWs in the years to come: the passkey. “We’ve taken a giant step forward on the journey towards a passwordless future,” Google said in a blog post published Wednesday. “We’ve begun rolling out support for passkeys across Google Accounts on all major platforms. This means users can now take advantage of passkeys across Google Services for a passwordless sign-in…

Photo: VDB Photos (Shutterstock)In the decade-spanning conflict between the need for online privacy and efforts to stop fake accounts from accessing sensitive info, the tech monolith that is Microsoft is putting its massive weight behind the creation of standardized online identities. In its announcement Tuesday, Microsoft talked up its Entra management systems that includes Verified ID, promoting itself as a quick way of giving sensitive identification to entities thatneed to verify that you are who you say you are.In…