FIDO Alliance releases U.S. government adoption guidance on FIDO authentication

Many federal agencies have been using FIDO authenticators to enable secure access to systems for a variety of use cases. However, they have been deployed in varied configurations and there was a lack of guidance on how to implement the credentials. With the release of a new whitepaper, FIDO Alliance Guidance for U.S. Government Agency Deployment of FIDO Authentication, federal agencies who are looking to issue FIDO-based, phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication (MFA) solutions, such as the YubiKey to augment existing Smart Card credentials, have some help. 

In collaboration with government and industry leaders, Yubico partnered with the FIDO working group to provide guidance to help agencies wanting to deploy FIDO authenticators as a phishing-resistant technology. The whitepaper highlights areas where FIDO offers the best value to address U.S. government use cases as an enhancement of existing infrastructure, while minimizing rework, as agencies advance their Zero Trust strategies with phishing-resistant authentication tied to enterprise identity. Additional important highlights include: 

  • Review of the policy and guidance that enables the use of FIDO technology
  • A look at what agency actions need to take place before deploying FIDO, including adopting single sign-on (SSO), implementing a Digital Identity Risk Assessment Process, and implementing an integrated identity lifecycle management program.
  • Review of the FIDO-specific architectural consideration and recommended agency actions
  • Details of the user journey for someone using a FIDO credential
  • Discussion of lessons learned from previous FIDO implementations

The U.S. government has been emphasizing the importance of using only phishing-resistant MFA for almost two years, dating to the January 2022 publication by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) of Memorandum 22-09. While this OMB policy enables the use of authenticators that use the phishing-resistant FIDO2/WebAuthn standards, many agencies have been lacking guidance on how to actually deploy and manage them in a PKI-centric ecosystem. That’s where this new guidance will help. 

The document will help agencies seeking to deploy YubiKeys to employees and contractors as an additional authenticator alongside Personal Identity Verification (PIV) and Common Access Card (CAC), as well as those looking to issue YubiKeys to personnel who are not PIV or CAC eligible. This is the first in a series of documents the FIDO Alliance plans to release to support federal agency deployments. 

——

To read the full whitepaper from the FIDO Alliance, visit here. See how modern security is helping the Federal Government battle rising cyber threats in our new infographic here.

Talk to our teamTalk to our team

Share this article:


  • CEO Corner: Maintaining stable growth while navigating global uncertaintyAs we officially close out the first quarter of 2025,  I am pleased we saw a quarter with solid growth and profitability along with ongoing demand for phishing-resistant authentication. We continue to see new types of high-profile cyber attacks appearing regularly, and a major reason for the success of phishing attacks is stolen credentials. As […]Read moreCEOCEO CornerEarningsMattias Danielsson
  • Introducing the Yubico Academy: Enabling partners for a phishing-resistant futureAt Yubico, strong partnerships are fundamental to a more secure digital world. Our commitment goes beyond providing leading security keys; it’s about actively fostering the growth of our valued partners through impactful enablement programs. A cornerstone is the Yubico Academy, featuring our comprehensive certification program.  This program enables our partners’ teams to become Yubico experts, […]Read more
  • AI is booming — but proving you’re human matters more than everIf you walked the show floor at the RSA Conference this year, you probably noticed the same thing I did: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is everywhere. Agentic AI. AI in threat detection. AI in firewalls. AI in identity management. AI-generated demos. AI everything. The energy around AI was undeniable, and we’re seeing real innovation, efficiency gains […]Read moreAIArtificial IntelligencephishingRSAC
  • Ditching passwords for good: Celebrating the inaugural World Passkey DayHave you ever been stuck in a relationship with someone who constantly lets you down, exposes your secrets, and leaves you vulnerable? Odds are you cut your losses, packed up your things and moved on. Today is the day to do the same with your passwords: say goodbye forever! The reality is a majority of […]Read morepasskeyspasswordlessWorld Passkey Day