With the recent addition of YubiKeys to the officially supported FIDO Level 2-certified devices, ID Austria has taken a significant step toward providing even greater security and convenience to its users. ID Austria is an electronic ID system that builds on the country's existing mobile signature system and citizen card. It allows citizens to securely identify themselves and access various public services online—completely free of charge. Launched in 2019, it has since become an integral part of the country's digital infrastructure. Starting this year, the system will even be available across the European Union, allowing Austrian citizens to access services and confirm their identities across the region, where eIDAS (electronic identification, authentication, and trust services)-compliant solutions are accepted.
FIDO ( Fast ID Entity Online ) is an open authentication standard co-developed by Yubico based on public-key cryptography. It aims to eliminate the use of passwords and increase the level of security through traditional methods. Furthermore, FIDO Level 2 certification is limited to hardware-based security devices such as YubiKeys and smart cards that have a restricted operating environment and support attestation.
In addition to the security benefits associated with a FIDO L2 device , ID Austria also offers several advantages over alternative authentication methods:
- Easy to use. Austrian citizens can now authenticate to online services via NFC (contactless) or USB. It's now possible to authenticate across the entire range of devices, from mobile to desktop, using just one YubiKey—which houses all the cryptographic material. This allows users to access public services and verify their identity anytime, virtually anywhere.
- Secure signing of digital documents. This is an important feature for individuals and potentially some registered businesses that need to sign important documents online. For example, a user can now digitally sign a rental agreement, a job offer, or a tax return with ID Austria. Digital signatures are legally binding and have the same value as handwritten signatures. Therefore, the use of a hardware-based FIDO L2 security key provides users with a reliable way to ensure that their digital signatures are authentic, complete, unchallengeable, and protected from tampering, forgery, and other forms of cyberattacks.
Overall, ID Austria's expansion to include FIDO Level 2-certified devices represents an important development that significantly improves both the security and convenience of the program. By expanding the existing signature system on mobile phones and the citizen card, ID Austria has created an innovative and long-lasting digital ID system that sets the standard for secure online authentication and digital signatures. This is an excellent example of how technology and open standards can be used by governments to improve security, privacy, and convenience for their citizens.
Source: yubico.com
