“We congratulate PayPal and Samsung on their partnership, and their graphic demonstration of the value proposition that FIDO technologies bring – a login experience that is radically easier for consumers than passwords; and one that is simultaneously much stronger for Internet services,” said Michael Barrett, president of the FIDO Alliance. While this first deployment of FIDO Ready technology leverages a biometric – a simple swipe of a finger – we anticipate FIDO authentication to emerge in many forms and applications, through many providers and as a result of many more innovative partnerships dedicated to moving beyond passwords with more secure, private, easier-to-use authentication.”
The PayPal/Samsung deployment of FIDO authentication relies on a PayPal secure wallet in the cloud, which does not store personal information on the device. Customers can use their finger to authorize PayPal payments directly from their new Samsung Galaxy S5, because the FIDO Ready™ software on the device securely communicates between the fingerprint sensor on their device and PayPal’s service in the cloud. Per FIDO specifications, the only information a user’s device shares with PayPal is a unique encrypted key that allows PayPal to verify the identity of the customer without having to store any biometric information on PayPal servers.
FIDO standards will support a full range of authentication technologies, including biometrics such as fingerprint and iris scanners, voice and facial recognition, as well as further enabling existing solutions and communications standards, such as Trusted Platform Modules (TPM), USB Security Tokens, embedded Secure Elements (eSE), Smart Cards, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), and Near Field Communication (NFC). The open specifications are being designed to be extensible and to accommodate future innovation, as well as protect existing investments. FIDO specifications allow the interaction of technologies within an interoperable infrastructure, enabling authentication choice to meet the distinct needs of users and organizations.
Starting in April, FIDO authentication from PayPal and Samsung will be available in 26 markets globally, including Australia, Brazil, Hong Kong, Russia, United Kingdom and United States.