Dashlane, a password manager company, is replacing its master password by a device-based/biometric “Passwordless Login”, to better secure users’ password vaults. Dashlane users won’t have to remember and create a master password.
Dashlane Passwordless Login is a result of ‘s early support to the emerging cryptographic keys solution, known as passkeys. Dashlane’s new master password solution uses cryptographic key technology, but it is not the same thing as passkeys. Passkeys is a password-free authentication system developed by FIDO Alliance. All the major tech companies support Passkeys, including Apple and Microsoft. Google has just added passkey protection to Google accounts.
Donald Hasson, Dashlane’s CPO, explained in an interview to TheVerge that the company didn’t have a passkey yet. Dashlane’s browser extension can already save passkeys, but passkeys are generally only usable within the ecosystem they were originally stored in, such as Apple’s iCloud Keychain.
Dashlane’s CEO John Bennett stated in the same interview that the company does not want to be trapped within a passkey walled-garden. Bennett says that passkey works well if you’re only using operating system A. But if you’re on operating system B, it’s a problem. Dashlane could add a passkey option to unlock vaults in the future. This is a feature that competitor 1Password will add this summer. Hasson says that for now the company is open-sourcing some aspects of its proprietary Passwordless Login technology, which has been designed to be phishing resistant. This will help with security and privacy.
Dashlane Passwordless Login is available on mobile devices using the Dashlane app. It can authenticate users and unlock vaults using a PIN or biometrics such as Face ID and fingerprint readers. It can be used to login to Dashlane by scanning QR codes on other devices. The passwordless login won’t feel completely secure.
Dashlane users can recover their accounts from other devices they have authenticated if they lose one of their devices. There’s also the option to save or print a recovery code, which is crucial for Dashlane free users with only one device.
According to a press release, Dashlane Passwordless Login is available for new Dashlane customers in “coming months”. Dashlane is rolling out this feature to existing customers “later in the year.”
