New Delhi: Microsoft has announced that its upcoming Windows 10 will have biometric feature, enabling users to access their devices without entering passwords.
The software giant said that the OS will support the next version of the Fast Identification Online (FIDO) spec, which will allow devices to work with third-party biometric readers and providing easy framework for any hardware maker to build a layer of additional security into Windows 10 devices.
FIDO has been developed to provide password-free authentication and address the problem faced by users while remembering multiple usernames and passwords.
The system is designed to protect biometric information through a zero-knowledge proof, authenticating eye scans or fingerprints locally without exposing them to the web at large.
"Microsoft has contributed design inputs to the Fast IDentity Online (FIDO) Alliance, to be incorporated within FIDO 2.0 Technical Specifications. Transitioning away from passwords and to a stronger form of identity is one of the great challenges that we face in online computing, and we believe FIDO authentication, which is the subject of great discussion here at the White House summit, is the pathway to success. To address this challenge we joined the FIDO Alliance, where we are working alongside major industry partners to change the nature of authentication by developing specifications that define an open, scalable, interoperable set of mechanisms that supplant reliance on passwords to more securely authenticate users of online services," said Microsoft's Dustin Ingalls in a blog post.
Version 1.0 of the specification was released last month, Windows 10 support is tied to the 2.0 release, to which Microsoft is contributing design inputs.
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