passkey

noun

1. A key, especially in a hotel, that allows someone in authority to open any door.

   “With the universal pass-key of imagination we open the dingy door, pass down a dark passage and up a narrow stair.”

   “Jourdain stood by with a quiet sad smile, holding his passkey in his hand, and giving me time to take it all in.”

2. A key for entering a house or other building.

   “Now, Balmy, here's the passkey to that house. The windows are wired, but the front door isn't. Get inside that door as quietly as you can, and find out as much as you can.”

3. (especially)A cryptographic key that is tied to specific devices or cloud accounts and is meant to be used instead of a password.

   “Based on FIDO standards, passkeys are a replacement for passwords that provide faster, easier, and more secure sign-ins to websites and apps across a user's devices. Unlike passwords, passkeys are always strong and phishing-resistant. Passkeys simplify account registration for apps and websites, are easy to use, work across most of a user's devices, and even work on other devices within physical proximity. Why passkeys? Passwords are a problem.”

   “Google is starting to nudge users to try out passkeys, a replacement for traditional passwords that can stop phishing attacks and make sign-ins easier.”

   “The NCSC said this week it would no longer recommend using passwords where passkeys were available. They should be consumers’ first choice of login across all digital services because passwords were not secure enough to stand up to modern cyber threats. […] Even if an app or website using passkeys is breached, it is of no use to an assailant because the device holds the “private” passkey needed to complete a login.”

4. (dated)Synonym of password.

   “The router then generates a random numeric passkey and delivers it to the user […]”