UAF / U2F
FIDO uses two main security protocols: Universal Authentication Framework (UAF) and Universal Second Factor (U2F).
UAF works as a site’s primary security mechanism, uniting multiple forms of authentication under one set of protocols.
U2F is designed to augment a site’s current security measures. Users present a USB or near-field communication device — something found in many smartphones — to double-check the credentials they’ve already entered.
Zero Knowledge
Hardware
From smartphones to semiconductor chips, these companies make the devices that run the tech world. They’re hoping FIDO’s standards will make their products more difficult for criminals to crack.
Security
These tech firms specialize in digital security, and together they provide many different methods for companies and consumers to safeguard their data.
FIDO could provide the overarching framework for all of these solutions to play nice with one another, and if FIDO’s standards catch on, its supporters will have an easier time pitching their product to customers.
Services
Our personal information ends up in many different places: email providers, e-commerce sites, health care companies and streaming services, to name a few.
These companies need their customers to trust their security; they’re hoping FIDO’s standards can make sure that trust isn’t misplaced.
Finance
If there’s one industry that values security, it’s the world of finance. In the past few years, hackers have targeted credit card data more often and used identity theft to dupe these institutions and steal from their customers.
If FIDO can provide a safer way forward to secure this hard-earned cash, these companies are on board.