Apple @ Work: How is passkey usage changing user behavior?

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At the end of 2023, Dashlane made a bold decision: it was time to eliminate the master password for its password manager in favor of passkeys. Today, the company is releasing some information showing how the usage of its product has changed for new users since that change.

About Apple @ Work: Bradley Chambers managed an enterprise IT network from 2009 to 2021. Through his experience deploying and managing firewalls, switches, a mobile device management system, enterprise grade Wi-Fi, 1000s of Macs, and 1000s of iPads, Bradley will highlight ways in which Apple IT managers deploy Apple devices, build networks to support them, train users, stories from the trenches of IT management, and ways Apple could improve its products for IT departments.

Passkeys are an emerging implementation of passwordless technology that allows end-users to access online services without the need for passwords. We’re proud to be the first credential manager to enable its users to create, save, and sign in to websites with passkeys and support them across all devices. 

Authenticating in to the Dashlane app requires a different approach, as it’s not only about authentication but also about accessing your data by decrypting your vault. We leveraged our existing zero-knowledge security architecture, which ensures that sensitive data processing happens locally on the user’s device without Dashlane or anyone else having access. 

While passkeys can authenticate access to websites, they currently can’t be used to encrypt or decrypt vault data. Encryption remains crucial for maintaining our zero-knowledge architecture.

In analyzing the behavior of users who opted for a new passwordless feature against those using a Master Password since mid-December, the findings are quite startling. Users of the passwordless system are notably more engaged in using the app, showing a 40% higher frequency in using Dashlane, a 25% increase in autofill usage, and a sharp rise in sharing items—up by 240%. Additionally, there’s a 200% increase in adding 2FA tokens to vault items and a 20% increase in using Dashlane’s password generator for creating strong, unique passwords for new websites.

These behaviors indicate that users are highly engaged and concerned about security once they default to passkey support. This confirms that reducing login barriers can increase user engagement and improve security awareness. The initial results are promising and suggest that customers moving towards a passwordless world is going to lead to improved security results. Dashlane is now working on the next significant step: making Passwordless Login fully accessible to all new Dashlane personal plan users across all entry points, including mobile and web, via the Dashlane extension.

The transition is facilitated by a patent-pending, device-specific PIN, enabling users to easily set up Dashlane on new devices using an already logged-in device. This new feature simplifies the process and enhances security, making the user experience smoother and more secure.

9to5Mac’s take

I’ve been bullish on passkeys for years, but it has been a gradual rollout, but that’s not surprising. The technical aspects of passkeys are challenging enough, but changing consumer behavior is a drastic shift. I firmly believe that sometime over the next decade, passkey logins will be the default for everything, and it’s going to dramatically improve security for the enterprise.

Apple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage & protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.