How does the digital identity management platform support the WebAuthn standard?

A digital identity management platform supports the WebAuthn (Web Authentication) standard by enabling secure, passwordless authentication methods such as biometrics (fingerprint, facial recognition), security keys (USB/NFC), and platform authenticators (e.g., Windows Hello, Apple Touch ID). WebAuthn is a W3C standard that allows federated credentials to be used for authentication, reducing reliance on traditional passwords and enhancing security through public key cryptography.

The platform integrates WebAuthn by acting as a Relying Party (RP), which initiates the authentication request and verifies the response from the user's Authenticator. Here’s how it works:

1. Registration: When a user registers, the platform generates a challenge and sends it to the client (browser/device). The authenticator creates a new key pair (public/private) and returns the public key to the platform, which stores it securely.
2. Authentication: During login, the platform sends a challenge to the authenticator. The user confirms their identity (e.g., via fingerprint or a security key), and the authenticator signs the challenge with the private key. The platform verifies the signature using the stored public key.

Example: A user logs into a web application via a browser. The digital identity platform prompts the user to authenticate using a fingerprint (via a built-in platform authenticator) or a USB security key. The platform validates the response without requiring a password.

For enhanced scalability and security, cloud-based identity platforms often leverage managed identity services (e.g., Tencent Cloud’s CAM (Cloud Access Management) and Federated Identity solutions) to handle WebAuthn integrations, ensuring secure key storage, audit logging, and multi-factor authentication (MFA) support. These services streamline compliance with standards like FIDO2 and reduce the complexity of implementing passwordless workflows.