WHAT’S THE SECRET

The YubiKey 4, YubiKey 4 Nano, U2F Security Key, and YubiKey NEO support the emerging FIDO Alliance standard called U2F (Universal Second Factor). U2F uses something called public key cryptography, which involves using a really hard math problem to create a pair of keys used to verify access to an account. The key pair is one portion of the two-factor strong authentication equation: “something you know” (such as your username/password) and “something you have” (such as a YubiKey).

You just plug your YubiKey into your USB port, enter your existing username and password, then touch the YubiKey button when prompted. There is no installation of software required and there is no battery to charge. Your YubiKey is small and nearly indestructible, and hangs on your keychain or sits inside your USB port.