Almost two months after it was first announced, Yubico has launched the YubiKey 5Ci, a security key with dual support for iPhones, Macs and other USB-C compatible devices.
Yubico’s newest YubiKey is the latest iteration of its security key built to support a newer range of devices, including Apple’s iPhone, iPad and MacBooks, in a single device. Announced in June, the company said the security keys would cater to cross-platform users — particularly Apple device owners.
These security keys are small enough to sit on a keyring. When you want to log in to an online account, you plug in the key to your device and it authenticates you. Your Gmail, Twitter and Facebook account all support these plug-in devices as a second-factor of authentication after your username and password — a far stronger mechanism than the simple code sent to your phone.
Security keys offer almost unbeatable security and can protect against a variety of threats, including nation-state attackers.
Jerrod Chong, Yubico’s chief solutions officer, said the new key would fill a “critical gap in the mobile authentication ecosystem,” particularly given how users are increasingly spending their time across a multitude of mobile devices.
The new key works with a range of apps, including password managers like 1Password and LastPass, and web browsers like Brave, which support security key authentication.
How two-factor authentication can protect you from account hacks
