Security Keys Are the Best Way to Protect Your Apple ID

for those of us with iPhones iPads and Mac your Apple ID is basically your most important digital account if compromised Bad actors can access your iCloud information see your location or outright steal your devices from you while codebase two-factor authentication has been Apple's go-to way to protect your account for years with iOS 16. 3 you can use physical security keys to lock up your Apple ID from would-be Intruders it's the best way to protect your account in short a security key is a small piece of Hardware resembling a USB thumb drive that can be used to authenticate yourself when signing into an account or device once set up you can use a security key as an alternate form of two-factor authentication rather than rely on an SMS code or an authenticator app to prove your identity you connect your security key to your device to authenticate instead now if someone wants to break into your account they need access to your physical security key to do so which greatly reduces the chances you'll be hacked Apple being Apple there are some quirks to this process to start you'll need to maintain two Fido certified security keys at all times if you want to use the feature because Apple doesn't want you to be locked out of your account if you lose one there are also some limitations to which devices and services you can use these keys with so it might not work for everything while any Fido certified security Keys should work Apple highlights three if things work best with its devices including the UB key 5c NFC UV key 5ci and the phytan E-Pass canine NFC usba that's a mouthful keep in mind the connector type of the security key NFC keys for example will work wirelessly with all iPhones USBC keys will work great with newer Macs and iPads but older iPhones and older iPads will need a lightning key in order to connect directly otherwise you'll need an adapter to get them working that's probably why Apple recommends the UB key 5c NFC first since its NFC connectivity will work with your iPhone and its usb-c Port will connect to many Macs and iPads Apple makes things relatively simple to set up you'll find it on your iPhone or iPad from settings passwords and security then add security keys and on a map from system preferences your name password and security then click add next to security keys thanks for watching and stay tuned to Lifehacker for more tips and tricks on doing everything better