This article analyzes new attack classes against passwordless authentication, focusing on Google’s synced passkey ecosystem and the Cloud Authenticator used by desktop clients. The attacks demonstrate how malware on a compromised endpoint can misuse onboarding, recovery and device trust workflows to take over passkey-protected accounts. Palo Alto Unit 42 shows how an attacker can authenticate without user interaction, bypass user verification requirements and extract all synced passkey private keys.
After decades of breaches and billions in losses, the attack vectors that defined the era of passwords and shared secrets are finally starting to fade. Passkeys replace passwords and traditional multi-factor authentication (MFA) with public-key cryptography, decreasing entire classes of attacks that have dominated the threat landscape for years.
With no shared secret to steal, reuse or phish, many of an attacker’s most reliable tools are becoming obsolete. This represents a significant disruption for the credential theft market.
Read more…
Source: Palo Alto Unit 42
Sign up for the Cyber Security Review Newsletter
The latest cyber security news and insights delivered right to your inbox
Related:
- WhatsApp fixes ‘zero-click’ bug used to hack Apple users with spyware
August 29, 2025
WhatsApp said on Friday that it fixed a security bug in its iOS and Mac apps that was being used to stealthily hack into the Apple devices of “specific targeted users.” The Meta-owned messaging app giant said in its security advisory that it fixed the vulnerability, known officially as CVE-2025-55177, which was used alongside a separate ...
- How attackers adapt to built-in macOS protection
August 29, 2025
If a system is popular with users, you can bet it’s just as popular with cybercriminals. Although Windows still dominates, second place belongs to macOS. And this makes it a viable target for attackers. With various built-in protection mechanisms, macOS generally provides a pretty much end-to-end security for the end user. This post looks at how ...
- Free webinar exploring the future of cyber security in critical industries
August 28, 2025
On 5 September 2025, cyber security professionals and industry leaders will gather online for a free, expert-led webinar: “Securing systems, data, and people: What are cyber security experts’ concerns for the future?”. This session serves as a precursor to the IET’s Cyber Security for Critical Industries Conference 2025, offering attendees a valuable glimpse into the ...
- TAOTH Campaign Exploits End-of-Support Software to Target Traditional Chinese Users and Dissidents
August 28, 2025
In June, Terend Micro researchers identified and investigated an unusual security incident involving the installation of two malware families, C6DOOR and GTELAM, on a victim’s host. Trend Micro investigation determined that the malware was delivered through a legitimate input method editor (IME) software, Sogou Zhuyin. As brief explanation, an IME is a tool that interprets sequences ...
- Widespread Data Theft Targets Salesforce Instances via Salesloft Drift
August 28, 2025
Based on new information identified by GTIG, the scope of this compromise is not exclusive to the Salesforce integration with Salesloft Drift and impacts other integrations. GTIG now advise all Salesloft Drift customers to treat any and all authentication tokens stored in or connected to the Drift platform as potentially compromised. On August 28, 2025, GTIG ...
- Manitoba: Community that lost $472,000 to cyber attack failed to investigate
August 28, 2025
Manitoba’s auditor general says a rural municipality failed to properly investigate a cyber attack that resulted in the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Tyson Shtykalo investigated the cybersecurity breach that led to the Municipality of Westlake-Gladstone, west of Winnipeg, losing more than $472,000 over the course of a few weeks in 2019 and 2020. Read ...