Facebook is adding support for USB keys to beef up security, and the support is coming to both the desktop web version as well as the mobile web version. USB keys are a form of two-factor authentication that most people are commonly familiar with from their Google accounts, as Google has had support for USB keys in addition to the digital codes that are generated and sent out to users via SMS for some time. Now that Facebook is adding support for USB keys users will have what some consider to be a more secure option for logging into their accounts as the USB key is physical and will have to be on your person to generate the code. These codes are single-time use, so they can certainly be beneficial to have on hand if you prefer login approvals for your social media and other types of accounts.
While Facebook is adding support for USB keys for authenticating users, they do note that this is only supported through the web version of Facebook at the moment and there is no support for the Android or iOS apps. That being said, if you do use Facebook on your Android device more often than on your desktop or laptop, it’s possible to use the USB key as a login method with the mobile web version of Facebook if you have a couple of other prerequisites, which include the latest version of Google Authenticator, as well as the latest version of Chrome installed. Users will also need to have a device that has NFC.
Although it’s likely common knowledge for most users who choose to set up two-factor authentication and use these keys for more secure logins, Facebook highlights a few reasons as to why they should be something that users are thinking about, like protection from phishing attacks as well as the fact that they’re usable with other services that support the keys. Most of all, using them can make it a quicker process to log in and if you’re pressed for time to the point where even a few precious seconds matter, then USB keys are definitely a good thing to have. Facebook says that the ability to register USB security keys for logging in is available from today, unfortunately there is no mention of when they will support the Android app.
