YubiKey for cryptocurrency (2024)

FAQs

Is YubiKey good for crypto? ›

YubiKeys make securing cryptocurrency exchanges, accounts, and high-value transactions safe and easy. The YubiKey is the strongest way to protect your customers' logins, trades, and transfers at the exchange level, increasing user trust and accelerating cryptocurrency adoption.

Use any YubiKey feature, or use them all. The versatile YubiKey requires no software installation or battery so just plug it into a USB port and touch the button, or tap-n-go using NFC for secure authentication.

All you need to do is go to the Settings tab of your crypto exchange, and navigate to the 2FA feature. Once there, just plug your YubiKey into your computer (or touch it to your mobile device, with NFC turned on), and it should do the rest!

Important. You and your designated teammates are required to use a YubiKey (or other physical security key) to secure your Coinbase Prime account. Review the sections and video below to learn how to request and register a YubiKey on Coinbase Prime.

A Yubikey can be used for an unlimited number of accounts if you're using WebAuthn. You also have an unlimited number of accounts for U2F.

Do I need to keep my yubikey plugged in all the time? A. No, you only need to insert your yubikey when you are prompted to do so during login. Leaving it plugged in could result in the yubikey being lost or damaged.

We at Yubico always recommend having more than one YubiKey. This way, one key can be used as a primary key, and the other can be used as a spare. Please note that for security reasons, the firmware of our products does not allow stored secrets to be read, meaning it is not possible to “clone” or "duplicate" a YubiKey.

OATH (Yubico Authenticator) - the YubiKey 5's OATH application can hold up to 32 OATH-TOTP credentials (AKA authenticator app codes).

The YubiKey itself can hold multiple FIDO2 credentials (up to 25), giving a user enough flexibility to secure all important accounts.

Can I use YubiKey for all my passwords? ›

The solution: YubiKey + password manager

Using a password manager application is the best way to create and maintain unique and strong passwords for all your account logins, and protecting your password manager with a YubiKey is the most secure way to manage multiple digital credentials.

A private key is a long alphanumeric code that acts similarly to a password. Private keys are used to authorize cryptocurrency transactions. Your private key is generated by your wallet and is used to create your public key (your wallet address) using encryption.

You can de-associate the lost YubiKey, and then re-associate another key. Applications or services may also provide other mechanisms for you or administrators to assign a new YubiKey in case you lost an original key. Contact the company supporting the YubiKey to find out about their policies. Was this article helpful?

A wallet that you hold the private keys for and is therefore in your control. Coinbase Wallet is a self-custody wallet that gives you complete control of your digital assets.

The YubiKey supports one-time passwords, public-key encryption, and the U2F. YubiKey also allows storing static passwords for use at websites that do not support unique passwords.

The counter starts at zero and is incremented each time the device is plugged in. Two bytes for the session counter allows for 2(2*8) = 65,536 sessions. In other words, you can plug in the Yubikey three times a day for almost 60 years before running out of session counters.

Q: How long does the YubiKey last? A: We don't artificially limit the life-span of any YubiKey. The internals of the YubiKey's security algorithms currently limits each key to 30+ years of usage. The Yubikey is powered by the USB port and therefore requires no battery and there is no display on it that can break.

Our product's quality is top of mind for us and if your YubiKey is damaged we ask that you submit a support ticket with the following information. The order number or copy of invoice from when you purchased the YubiKey. A valid shipping address in the event we send a replacement YubiKey to you.

Static magnetic fields from permanent magnets does not affect the Yubikey.

Unlike SMS codes and mobile push authentication, YubiKeys do not require a cellular connection to operate. In fact, they don't even require batteries or have any other external dependency.

Can YubiKey be tracked? ›

YubiKeys can be easily numbered, tracked, and managed as a state asset. If a user leaves the organization, the YubiKey can be quickly and securely reassigned to another user.

Q: How many spares should I get? A: Many of our customers actually purchase several spares for maximum security and peace of mind. This is not a bad idea when guarding extremely critical accounts. Starting off, you should be fine with 1-2 spare keys.

FIDO2 offers expanded authentication options including strong single factor (passwordless), two factor, and multi-factor authentication. With these new capabilities, the YubiKey enables the replacement of weak username/password credentials with strong hardware-backed cryptographic key pair credentials.

How can I safely remove my YubiKey? The YubiKey identifies as a USB keyboard to your PC, and does not need to be ejected when removed – you can just pull it out!

> A Yubikey can be hacked to send arbitrary keystrokes - but that's of limited usefulness.

Should YubiKeys be reused? YubiKeys could be reused. There are a number of considerations that need to be taken into account when deciding on whether or not to reuse YubiKeys. Besides removing and reissuing credentials, tracking systems may need to be updated.

It is costly to design, mould, manufacture, sell and support a hardware product, even something as small as this. Since you don't want your 2FA company to go out of business there is good value in knowing they have a stable business model that can actually support a company rather than just burning capital.

Buy YubiKeys at Yubico.com | Shop hardware authentication security keys. Opt for greater flexibility with subscription, compared to a one-time purchasing model. Businesses with 500+ users qualify for YubiEnterprise Subscription. YubiKeys as a service, via subscription, delivers peace of mind in an uncertain world.

Each physical YubiKey token has its own unique identifier. YubiKey recommends having more than one token to reduce the risk of being locked out of your account because of token loss. You can link up to 5 YubiKey tokens with your account.

To do this, you will first need to use the Yubico Authenticator app to scan the QR code that was issued to the first security key by the service. Then get the QR code for the second security key. Scan it with the same app and link them that way. After that, you can use any of these keys for authentication.

How do you maximize crypto security? ›

For security, the firmware on the YubiKey does not allow for secrets to be read from the device after they have been written to the device. Therefore you cannot duplicate or back up a YubiKey or Security Key.

Best for Security Trezor Model T

We chose Trezor as best for security because it comes with the strongest security features and track record of any reviewed hardware wallet. Trezor, like Ledger, is a name synonymous with crypto cold wallet storage. Its Model T is the second generation of hardware wallets it's created.

Overview. The YubiKey and 1Password together provide an additional layer of security to your personal and business accounts. With two-factor authentication enabled with your 1Password accounts, you effectively protect your credentials and accounts from unauthorized access.

Authenticator apps provide a layer of security and are a convenient option for use by many, but they are still vulnerable to phishing due to the 30-second window. Security keys, like the YubiKey, are considered to be both more convenient and more secure. Yubico also provides a use in conjunction with the YubiKey.

While YubiKeys don't directly share passwords, YubiKeys can pair with password managers such as Keeper, LastPass, and Dashlane that are able to securely do so. This way, families, businesses and even individuals can more securely share their passwords with hardware-supported protection.

The YubiKey uses FIDO2 and PIV to offer phishing resistance at scale supported by all leading browsers and platforms, and hundreds of IAM and cloud services. One of the most highly recommended techniques by security experts for fighting phishing attacks, is a hardware security key.