How many FIDO protocols are needed? Surveying the design, security and market perspectives

Abstract

Unequivocally, a single man in possession of a strong password is not enough to solve the issue of security. Studies indicate that passwords have been subjected to various attacks, regardless of the applied protection mechanisms due to the human factor. The keystone for the adoption of more efficient authentication methods by the different markets is the trade-off between security and usability. To bridge the gap between user friendly interfaces and advanced security features, the Fast Identity Online (FIDO) alliance defined a number of authentication protocols. Although FIDO's biometric based authentication is not a novel concept, still daunts end users and developers, which maybe a contributor factor obstructing FIDO's complete dominance of the digital authentication market.This paper traces the evolution of FIDO protocols, by identifying the technical characteristics and security requirements of the FIDO protocols throughout the different versions while providing a comprehensive study on the different markets (e.g., digital banking, social networks, e-government, etc.), applicability, easy of use, extensibility and future security considerations. From the analysis we conclude that there is currently no dominant version of a FIDO protocol and more importantly, earlier FIDO protocols are still applicable to emerging vertical services.CCS Concepts: • Security and privacy → Security protocols.