Google to sell its own hardware keys based on FIDO standard

Google will sell its own hardware keys based on the FIDO standard. The keys are intended to make logging into accounts with two-step verification more secure. First, the Titan Security Keys are available to Google Cloud customers.

The hardware keys will be coming to the Google Store soon, Google says in the announcement. It is not yet clear when the keys will be available in the Benelux and what they will cost. Gizmodo, among others, reports that the keys will cost 20 or 25 dollars in the United States. It is a USB version and a version that works with Bluetooth.

The hardware keys are intended to securely log in to Google accounts, but because they work with the FIDO standard, they can also be used for other services. The keys work as a form of two-step verification, replacing, for example, the SMS or authentication code generated via an app.

Google tells The Verge that the Titan Security Key contains custom firmware developed by the search giant. The hardware keys have been tested internally at Google for more than a year. All more than 85,000 employees are required to use the key. According to the company, there have been no cases of hacking into accounts via phishing since early 2017.