Passkeys are basically client certs for website logins.
Server stores a public key, encrypts a challenge on login attempt. Client browser uses private key to decrypt challenge (and sign it maybe?) and respond to web server to authenticate.
Hackers can’t get a shared secret (like a password or password hash) by hacking the website’s database becaus the public key is all they store; useless without the private key.
Not foolproof, but much harder to exploit than passwords - which many people re-use across multiple sites.
What are the benefits of a passkey over a client certificate?
Passkeys are basically client certs for website logins.
Server stores a public key, encrypts a challenge on login attempt. Client browser uses private key to decrypt challenge (and sign it maybe?) and respond to web server to authenticate.
Hackers can’t get a shared secret (like a password or password hash) by hacking the website’s database becaus the public key is all they store; useless without the private key.
Not foolproof, but much harder to exploit than passwords - which many people re-use across multiple sites.