Q&A: Yubico Software Engineer Emil Lundberg on the past, present and future of WebAuthn

Ryan Schin

Ryan Schin

2 minute read

With the proliferation of distributed work globally and as cybercriminals become more sophisticated by the day – it’s clear that traditional passwords and legacy MFA simply aren’t strong enough. Enter WebAuthn, an API that makes it easy for web services to integrate strong authentication into applications using support built in to all leading browsers and platforms.

A few key facts to know about WebAuthn: 

  • The story started in 2013, when Yubico and Google co-created the U2F standard and contributed it to the FIDO alliance. U2F was succeeded in 2019 by WebAuthn, developed under the umbrella of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) with Yubico, Microsoft, and Google as leading contributors. WebAuthn continues to be developed further by these and other industry partners.
  • It offers significant security gains over traditional time-based one-time password (TOTP) or SMS-based two-factor authentication (2FA) – thanks to its secure design based on public key cryptography and strict domain binding. Widespread implementation, which can help curb account takeovers from phishing and other modern cyberthreats, will not be achievable until trust is established with everyday users. 

By understanding WebAuthn and how it functions, we are able to further the adoption of passwordless. Emil Lundberg, software engineer and WebAuthn editor at Yubico, recently joined the Swedish IT security podcast Säkerhetssnack to share more about this. During the podcast, Emil talks about the past, present, and future of WebAuthn and its unique ability to make organizations phishing resistant. Check out the video below to listen to the questions and topics discussed. Some of the highlights from the discussion include:

  • An overview of WebAuthn – what it is and who created it
  • How simple and seamless the WebAuthn process is for end users
  • What happens under the hood when websites authenticate users
  • How the devices your team uses every day are built to work with WebAuthn — and how YubiKeys create the same strong protection across multiple devices 

For more information on WebAuthn implementation and best practices, check out our blog here.

, , , ,
Talk to our teamTalk to our team

Share this article:
  • CEO Corner: Entering the second half of 2025 with momentumAs we continue to move further into the second half of 2025, I want to share a look back at our journey so far this year and as well as lay out Yubico’s strategic path ahead.  Resurgence in order growth and key segment wins While net sales declined for Q2, the end of the quarter […]Read moreCEOCEO CornerEarningsMattias Danielsson
  • Survey says: Your dog’s name isn’t a passwordWe all know we should be protecting our digital lives, but what are Americans actually doing? Yubico recently commissioned a survey, conducted by Talker Research, which asked Americans in 10 major metro cities across the U.S. about their online security habits. Here’s a closer look at what they found (hint: they’re not as secure as […]Read moreCompany Newssurvey
  • Passkeys are winning, but security leaders must raise the barPasswords are on their way out. In their place is a new form of login called passkeys that promises stronger security and less frustration. All passkeys offer the rare combination of improved usability and stronger security, especially when compared to passwords alone. But unless we act now, millions could be left more vulnerable than ever. […]Read moreDevice-bound passkeysHardware passkeypasskeyssynced passkeys
  • Your top YubiKey questions, answeredOver the 10+ years I’ve been at Yubico, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting customers, partners and many others talking about digital security. While every conversation is different, I am often asked many of the same questions about YubiKeys. One thing remains consistent: many people know they need better security, but they’re not sure what […]Read moreFAQYubiKey