You Can Now Protect Your Facebook Account with Security Keys

By Sia. in Social Media. February 6, 2017.

Two-factor authentication has been an option for those who wished to beef up the security of their Facebook accounts for a while now. However, if you feel that two-factor authentication isn’t secure enough, Facebook has added yet another security measure to the mix: physical security keys.

The way this system works is simple. Enter your Facebook login credentials, insert the security key into your computer’s USB drive and tap on it. Once that’s done, you’ll be logged into Facebook as per normal.

Facebook will support any security key that follows the Universal 2nd Factor (U2F) standard that is hosted by the FIDO Alliance. This means that security keys like the Yubikey line made by Yubico will work with Facebook’s new security option. On top of that, an account can support multiple security keys, so you can always create backup keys just in case you lose one.

But just like any other security system, this security key system does have its drawbacks. Apart from the obvious need to purchase and carry around a physical object (albeit a small one), the security key feature will only work with certain web browsers and mobile devices.

For now, adding a new security key can only be done using the latest version of Chrome or Opera, so you’re going to need either of these browsers on your computer. The feature is still not available on the mobile Facebook app. In short, the security key feature supplements the pre-existing two-factor authentication system instead of replacing it outright.