Passwordless authentication for end users is taking the world by storm, offering organizations and individuals alike unprecedented security, user experience, and efficiency benefits. By all indications, the next generation of authentication for end users has finally arrived, sending the password the way of the dodo. Although they don’t get anywhere near the same hype, advanced authentication strategies for APIs are as critical as passwordless authentication for end-users. Poorly architected and broken authentication for APIs present a considerable risk to the organizations that use them, serving as a potential entry point for attackers to wreak havoc on IT infrastructure. With this fact in mind, let’s explore some of the existing advanced authentication strategies for API security, the benefits they can bring, and what’s next for API authentication. Passwordless Authentication? API Authentication Did It First! Amidst all the buzz surrounding passwordless authentication for end users, it can be easy to miss that it wouldn’t be possible without APIs leading the way. With passwordless authentication, the device acts as a secure store for cryptographic keys, which are then used to authenticate the user via APIs. Essentially, end-user passwordless authentication methods are really built on APIs. – they rely on protocols like OAuth or OpenID to verify identities without needing a password. End-user and API authentication differ in their methods in that API authentication…Read More