[Review] Yubico YubiKey 5 Series
You wouldn’t leave your house without your key, so why would you leave your online accounts without a key too? Yubico launched their current security keys late last year, named the YubiKey 5 Series. It is their 5th generation YubiKey which comprises of four multi-protocol security keys, and includes two new features: FIDO2 / WebAuthn and NFC (near field communication).
Setting up the Yubico YubiKeys are very simple. Simply plug them in to their respective ports and touch the gold-plated portion of the key to activate your second-authentication. Second factor authentication will need to be set up on your various services and devices (including the popular ones such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LastPass, Windows Logon and Mac!) You can click here to find out all the services that the YubiKey support (hint: there are a few!)
Each key in the YubiKey 5 series supports: FIDO2 / WebAuthn, FIDO U2F, PIV (smart card), OpenPGP, Yubico OTP, OATH-TOTP, OATH-HOTP, and challenge-response.
It is up to each individual service to allow the respective YubiKey 2FA to work with them. For example, LastPass requires you to sign up to their premium account before YubiKey 2FA will work. The more common services like Facebook, Google, Twitter et cetera allow this for free.
The YubiKey 5 Series include four multi-protocol security keys: YubiKey 5 NFC, YubiKey 5 Nano, YubiKey 5C and the YubiKey 5C Nano. Both the YubiKey 5 NFC and YubiKey 5 Nano have a USB-A connector with the YubiKey 5 Nano being its little brother and much smaller in comparison. The YubiKey 5 Nano also doesn’t have NFC whereas its big brother does.
The NFC capability on the YubiKey 5 NFC allows you to tap a supported Android device and log in securely using 2FA (Two-factor authentication) replacing you having to type in a 2FA code from your phone. If you misplace your YubiKey or forgot to bring it, you can revert back to your older-fashioned way of typing in your 2FA either from a text sent to you, or through an authenticator app. I’ll be honest though… There wasn’t a lot of documentation on the Yubico website that showed me how to use the NFC capability with an Android phone. It looks like you may have to download the Yubico Authenticator app on your phone for this to work.
The YubiKey 5C and 5C Nano were simple to use. These security keys have a USB-C connector and can plug into any device which has a USB type-C connector. Once 2FA has been set up on your service or account, a tap of the gold plate will trigger the 2FA.
These Yubico YubiKey 5 security keys feel very sturdy and are all water resistant. They all have no moving parts in them. According to the Yubico website, only the YubiKey 5 NFC is crush resistant. The YubiKey 5 NFC and 5C each have a little keyhole at the top of the key which you can thread it through your keychain for ease of carry.
The YubiKey 5 and 5C Nano are both very miniature in design with no keyhole. This is best used for if you want to plug it in to a device you use frequently and forget about it. It is also recommended to keep away from young children as these can be swallowed in an instance!
Overall, the YubiKey 5 Series is an advanced set of security keys which can be used as an alternative method than receiving a 2FA code on your phone. Once set up with the respective services, these Yubico security keys should be treated well, just like your house key.
For more information, please visit: https://www.yubico.com/products/yubikey-5-overview/
