Apple releases iOS 13.3 with support for security keys in Safari

Apple has released iOS 13.3 and iPadOS 13.3. This includes support for the use of physical security keys in combination with Apple’s own web browser, Safari.

Apple reports that iOS 13.3 introduces additional support for security keys in Safari, which are compatible with NFC, USB and Lightning FIDO2. Previously, Safari users could not use physical security keys, such as those provided by YubiKey.

The YubiKey 5Ci released in the summer could be used in combination with iPhones, via the Lightning or USB-c connection, but that was only possible with, for example, LastPass and 1Password. IOS apps still had to add individual support for the Lightning connection of the YubiKey 5Ci, but with iOS 13.3 there is native support from Apple.

This means that the YubiKey 5 NFC can now also be used with iPhones; With NFC support, the Authenticator app now works seamlessly across all major desktop and mobile platforms, with full support for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS, according to Yubico. Android already received support for FIDO2 in February, so that logging in without passwords became possible.

The release of iOS 13.3 also adds a number of other improvements, such as a fix for a denial-of-service bug called AirDos, which allowed an attacker to spam all nearby iOS devices with an AirDrop popup. The discoverer of this vulnerability, Kishan Bagaria, has disclosed details about it on his blog.

In addition, the new iOS version adds a feature for parents, which, according to Apple, allows “more communication limits” to be set, so that parents can control who their children contact via phone, FaceTime or the messaging function. A contact list allows parents to control which contacts appear on their children’s devices.