To enhance digital protection at Berkeley Lab, the IT Division is rolling out Passkeys across the Lab following a successful three-month pilot. The IT Division will begin the Lab-wide transition by launching Passkeys for all divisions within Operations in April, followed by all Research divisions in May.
A Passkey is a modern credential stored on your device that uses a local cryptographically validated check or a physical security key (like a YubiKey) to log you in. Passkeys offer a significant upgrade over traditional MFA because they are a simpler yet more secure, phishing-resistant alternative to multi-factor authentication.
Why Are We Moving to Passkeys?
Passkeys eliminate the need for traditional MFA OTP (the manual entry of secondary codes from the authenticator app), reducing the risk of credential theft. They are cryptographically tied to your device and the Lab’s authentication services, meaning they cannot be intercepted or entered into a fraudulent website. Passkeys offer a new level of convenience by eliminating one-time codes, making logins seamless and safer.
What Staff Can Expect
We have designed this transition to be low-friction. Staff in Operations divisions will be added to the Passkey program over the coming weeks.
- Enrollment: Once your division is enrolled, at your next login attempt, you will see a prompt offering the option to register a passkey.
- User Control: All existing authentication methods (physical tokens and 6-digit authenticator codes) will remain fully functional until the rollout period concludes. At the end of the rollout period (TBD), the use of authenticator codes will be replaced solely with passkeys.
Interested in early access? If you are interested in gaining access to passkeys right away rather than waiting for your division’s official rollout, please fill out this form: go.lbl.gov/JoinPasskeyProgram
Resources and Support
- Registration Walkthrough: go.lbl.gov/firstpasskey
- FAQs & Troubleshooting: go.lbl.gov/passkeys or go.lbl.gov/passkeyhelp
- Direct Support: IT Help Desk at go.lbl.gov/itchat
- Virtual Office Hours: IT will provide office hours via Zoom during the enrollment period. Visit go.lbl.gov/passkeys for connection information.
Thank you for your partnership as we move toward a more robust and efficient authentication standard for the Lab.
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