PALO ALTO, CA and STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN – September 9, 2020 – Yubico, the leading provider of hardware authentication security keys, today announced the general availability of the YubiKey 5C NFC, the world’s first multi-protocol security key with smart card support, designed with both near-field communication (NFC) and USB-C connections on a single device. The YubiKey 5C NFC is the latest addition to the YubiKey 5 Series product line, and is available to purchase today at yubico.com for $55 USD.
World’s first security key to feature dual USB-C and NFC connections and support multiple authentication protocols including smart card and FIDO
The YubiKey 5C NFC comes at a time when the need for simple, yet strong authentication is on the rise globally. COVID-related phishing attacks continue to surge in the context of remote work, and millions of corporate-owned devices are now shared with families and home networks, making it critical for companies to secure users from any location and machine. Meanwhile, the increasing overlap of personal and work responsibilities demands solutions that are easy to use and non-prohibitive for end users.
“The way that people work and go online is vastly different today than it was a few years ago, and especially within the last several months,” said Guido Appenzeller, Chief Product Officer, Yubico. “Users are no longer tied to just one device or service, nor do they want to be. That’s why the YubiKey 5C NFC is one of our most sought-after security keys — it’s compatible with a majority of modern-day computers and mobile phones and works well across a range of legacy and modern applications. At the end of the day, our customers crave security that ‘just works’ no matter what.”
Unlike mobile-based authentication offerings, security keys — like the YubiKey — offer the strongest defense against phishing and man-in-the-middle attacks, paired with a seamless user experience. With one simple tap or touch, the YubiKey 5C NFC can be used to authenticate across all leading platforms — iOS, Android, Windows, macOS and Linux — and on any mobile device, laptop, or desktop computer that supports USB-C ports or NFC. YubiKey authentication can be up to four times faster than logging in with a one-time passcode.
Similar to other form factors in the YubiKey 5 Series, the YubiKey 5C NFC supports multiple authentication protocols including: FIDO2 and WebAuthn, FIDO U2F, PIV (smart card), OATH-HOTP and OATH-TOTP (hash-based and time-based one-time passwords), OpenPGP, YubiOTP, and challenge-response. This robust multi-protocol support enables one key to work across a wide range of services and applications ranging from email clients, identity access management (IAM) solutions, VPN providers, password managers, social media platforms, collaboration tools, and many more.
For enterprises, the flexibility of the YubiKey 5C NFC makes it simple to deploy and eliminates the need for costly custom integrations or separate authentication devices for each system. Now, with the recent availability of Yubico’s YubiEnterprise Service offerings, YubiEnterprise Subscription and YubiEnterprise Delivery, organizations can quickly and cost-effectively deploy YubiKey authentication at scale, regardless of employee locations. IT administrators can easily upgrade to the latest YubiKey form factors, including the new YubiKey 5C NFC, and ship them directly to their employees’ front door steps.
For more information about the YubiKey 5C NFC, visit the Yubico store. To add support for hardware-backed two-factor authentication (2FA) with the YubiKey, visit the Yubico Developer site.
Yubico sets new global standards for simple and secure access to computers, mobile devices, servers, and internet accounts.
The company’s core invention, the YubiKey, delivers strong hardware protection, with a simple touch, across any number of IT systems and online services. The YubiHSM, Yubico’s ultra-portable hardware security module, protects sensitive data stored in servers.
Yubico is a leading contributor to the FIDO2, WebAuthn, and FIDO Universal 2nd Factor open authentication standards, and the company’s technology is deployed and loved by 9 of the top 10 internet brands and by millions of users in 160 countries.
Founded in 2007, Yubico is privately held, with offices in Sweden, UK, Germany, USA, Australia, and Singapore. For more information: www.yubico.com.
