this post was submitted on 21 Aug 2025
20 points (95.5% liked)

Pulse of Truth

1662 readers
101 users here now

Cyber Security news and links to cyber security stories that could make you go hmmm. The content is exactly as it is consumed through RSS feeds and wont be edited (except for the occasional encoding errors).

This community is automagically fed by an instance of Dittybopper.

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

A new study reveals that passkeys—widely promoted as a safer login method compared with passwords—may unintentionally expose users to serious risks in situations involving interpersonal abuse. The research introduces the first framework for analyzing how digital authentication tools can be exploited in contexts such as intimate partner violence, elder abuse and human trafficking.

top 4 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] paraphrand@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

I’m disappointed(?) that this didn’t really have anything that seems to differ from password managers in general.

But that does not mean this study should be dismissed. Just because they didn’t find new and exciting ways to be horrible that aren’t analogous to passwords in password managers, it doesn’t mean it was worthless to look into it.

Also, if I’m wrong, and the situations described can’t just all have a password manager swapped in, then please correct me!

I guess if someone isn’t using a password manager, and is managing to remember all their passwords, or keep them safe in the physical world somehow, passkeys are worse.

[–] killingspark@feddit.org 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I'm guessing they expect password managers to be protected by a master password, and passkeys to be freely available once you have (brief) access to the device?

[–] Rozz@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

I'm guessing in some abusive relationships the abuser forces access to the password manager, so that wouldn't be better.

[–] killingspark@feddit.org 1 points 1 month ago

Well yeah no password protects against a maniac with a wrench, but that's not what this study is about