UK cyber chiefs have urged people to ditch passwords for passkeys, citing enhanced security and user-friendly convenience. Unlike traditional passwords, passkeys are unique digital keys that authenticate users at a device level using biometric or PIN methods.

The National Cyber Security Centre's Jonathan Ellison described passkeys as 'a user-friendly alternative which provide stronger overall resilience'. However, experts caution they're not a panacea, pointing out the risk of losing your device can make it tricky to access accounts.

Passkeys work by generating secure key pairs where one part remains on the device and the other with the service. This means no more remembering complex codes or worrying about data breaches. Major platforms, including Apple, Google and X, already support passkeys, but their adoption is still patchy.

The NCSC's move to promote passkeys comes as a response to rising data breaches and repeated warnings against using simple passwords. While passkeys offer more protection, they're part of a broader security strategy that includes password managers and multi-factor authentication methods.