There are different flavors of passkeys. Some are device-bound, like those used on Windows Hello and those that reside on a security key. Another variant is synced passkeys, which are encrypted, backed up to the cloud, and accessible on multiple devices. Synced passkeys offer greater convenience compared to other types but require a provider account, typically a password manager account, for management.
It's reasonable to expect a password manager to enable the export of passkeys for import into another password manager. While this capability has existed for passwords for many years, it doesn’t for passkey—and this has to change.
The old way is unsecure and not standardized
If you want to export your passwords from your current password manager, it will most likely produce a CSV file. This file will be unencrypted and contain all your passwords, which means any person or program that can read the file will have access to all your password credentials. That’s a lot of risk!
Not only does the file lack security, but the data within it isn't formatted based on any standard. Each password manager establishes its own data format. This becomes a hassle for password managers importing CSV files because they must ensure compatibility with the format generated by the exporting app.
The new way will be secure and standardized
In 2022, Dashlane and 1Password teamed up to tackle this issue, aiming to provide a solution for all password managers. Our collaboration involved creating a proof of concept within our respective apps to transfer vault items from one app to another, prioritizing both security and usability.
Given our active participation in the FIDO Alliance, both companies agreed to showcase the proof of concept at the subsequent FIDO Alliance plenary meeting in May 2023. Feedback from relevant organizations in the FIDO Alliance was overwhelmingly positive. With the introduction of Apple Passwords, an app that manages and syncs passkeys, it's crucial to establish an industry standard for data portability, ensuring that users have the flexibility to transfer and manage their passkeys across platforms.
We’re now actively working within the FIDO Alliance to create two public standards now available as working drafts.
- The Credential Exchange Format serves as a standardized approach for formatting vault data, allowing interoperability among password managers.
- The Credential Exchange Protocol, based on HPKE, not only ensures secure data transfer but also offers flexibility to accommodate various use cases beyond bulk movement of vault items.
What was once just an idea on our wish list will soon become a reality for both third-party password managers and those bundled with operating systems and browsers, enabling data portability for passkeys, passwords, and more.
These new standards will give users the freedom to choose where they store their credentials—a crucial step toward the adoption of passkeys.
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