1Password, a leader in human-centric security and privacy, today announced the acquisition of Passage, a developer-first passwordless authentication company. 1Password will use Passage's technology to launch a passwordless authentication platform for enterprises – enabling a safer, simpler, and more secure end-user experience across any platform or device.
"1Password is focused on empowering companies and consumers to have safer and simpler digital experiences. As the world evolves, that means helping companies and consumers navigate all the complexities on the path to a passwordless future," said Jeff Shiner, chief executive officer of 1Password. "With today's Passage acquisition, we are committing to giving businesses and end users what they want and deserve: the convenience of passwordless without compromising security."
Together, 1Password and Passage Identity will enable developers, businesses, and consumers to make progress toward a passwordless future by accelerating adoption of passkeys. Passkeys represent the opportunity to replace passwords in favor of more secure and seamless user experiences. With passkeys, the pain of forgotten passwords is a thing of the past, and users minimize exposure to phishing attacks. For businesses, passwordless authentication can improve top- and bottom-line revenue by eliminating forgotten customer passwords and reducing sign-up friction.
"Passwords are ubiquitous, but ever-changing requirements can make them a hassle to use, and that can harm the user experience and cause real ramifications for businesses. "1Password's market leadership and human-centric mission make them a natural fit to achieve our shared vision of a secure, user-friendly experience that enables businesses to deliver a frictionless and safe experience to users on any device – no QR codes required."
Cole Hecht, co-founder and chief executive officer of Passage
The entire Passage team, including co-founders Cole Hecht (CEO) and Anna Pobletts (CTO), will bring their technical expertise and exclusive focus on passkey authentication to 1Password. The Passage team will continue to focus on developing passkey-first authentication for consumer-facing businesses. This solution will be available in beta in early 2023.
The FIDO Alliance is an open industry association focused on improving authentication standards to minimize password use and improve online security. "Enterprises around the world are rapidly adopting FIDO-based solutions in order to accelerate the journey toward a safer, passwordless future," said Andrew Shikiar, executive director and CMO of the FIDO Alliance. "With the Passage acquisition, 1Password has bolstered their solution offering which stands to help more companies reduce reliance on passwords in favor of user-friendly and unphishable FIDO authentication."
About 1Password
1Password's human-centric security keeps people safe, at work and at home. Our solution is built from the ground up to enable anyone – no matter the level of technical proficiency – to navigate the digital world without fear or friction. The company's award-winning security platform is re-shaping the future of authentication, including passwordless. 1Password is trusted by over 100,000 businesses such as IBM, Slack, Snowflake, Shopify, and Under Armour and protects the most sensitive information of millions of individuals and families across the globe. The company's ultimate goal is to help consumers and businesses get more done in less time – with security and privacy as a given.