The difference is, you literally never give the private key to anyone. Nobody will ever ask for it.
It works through public private key encryption. To login the site will send your computer a “challenge” (some kind of math problem) that’s first encrypted with your public key. That means only your private key will be able to decrypt the challenge. Then your machine will generate an answer, encrypt it with the private key and sent that back. If the public key decrypts the answer and it matches, they know you are you.
Except they don’t. They may request a passkey which is just an oversimplification about what is going on behind the scenes, with information being passed back and forth as Steve described.
But the private key never leaves the device. This is such a huge distinction that is easy to overlook. But it is very, very important.
The difference is, you literally never give the private key to anyone. Nobody will ever ask for it.
It works through public private key encryption. To login the site will send your computer a “challenge” (some kind of math problem) that’s first encrypted with your public key. That means only your private key will be able to decrypt the challenge. Then your machine will generate an answer, encrypt it with the private key and sent that back. If the public key decrypts the answer and it matches, they know you are you.
“Websites ask me for it every time I visit them bro 🤪”
Except they don’t. They may request a passkey which is just an oversimplification about what is going on behind the scenes, with information being passed back and forth as Steve described.
But the private key never leaves the device. This is such a huge distinction that is easy to overlook. But it is very, very important.