Synacor announced Cloud ID™ Passkey Connect to end password headaches for consumers, and help service providers and content owners cut down on one of the most frequent and costly reasons for trouble calls. Cloud ID Passkey Connect is a managed service that helps streaming content companies and service providers easily deploy secure, passwordless authentication for online content. Available now, the service can immediately be integrated into existing authentication solutions to maximize the value of content for secure and frictionless user experiences.

Frequently forgotten passwords are a major churn risk for streaming app providers. Meanwhile, most consumers say they prefer a security measure that doesn’t involve the use of passwords at all. Cloud ID Passkey Connect leverages Synacor’s extensive experience in authentication and identity management to deliver benefits for consumers, content providers and service providers alike. This includes simplified access to online content, minimized profit loss from password sharing and fraud, and decreased customer support costs.

“Content value is maximized when it’s as easy as possible to access on any platform,” said Jeff Bak, Senior Vice President of Product at Synacor. “For years, efforts have focused on trying to make password-based access easier when really the only way to make the problem go away is to get rid of passwords themselves. Cloud ID Passkey Connect eliminates fallout from lost, forgotten, stolen and shared passwords and the burden to create, manage and remember an ever-expanding portfolio of passwords so consumers can finally enjoy streaming content anytime, anywhere with zero effort.”

Cloud ID Passkey Connect offers significant advantages over legacy password managers, including the elimination of stored passwords and the need for users to enter a specific password or passphrase for each account, both of which increase vulnerabilities to hacking and phishing attempts. Using Cloud ID Passkey Connect, subscribers can simply and securely log in with the same method they use to unlock their phone. This could include a fingerprint sensor, face recognition, a PIN or pattern, or confirmation via a wearable device. The offering is packaged as a managed service for ease of deployment by service providers and content companies.

“As identity experts, the Cloud ID team can ensure frustration-free integrations with a constantly expanding set of services,” said Daniel Warren, Vice President of Product and Program Management at Synacor. “We do the heavy lifting on integrations and ongoing management, so internal teams at service providers and streaming companies can focus their attention on other priority issues.”

Advanced tech puts an end to passwords

Passkeys function as unique cryptographic identifiers that provide secure access to services like premium streaming content. While passwords are often simple phrases or combinations known to the user, passkeys involve complex cryptographic elements that are algorithmically generated.

Based on industry standards, Cloud ID Passkey Connect automatically generates public and private keys that work in tandem to authenticate access. Each user’s public key is stored on a server and a private key is stored only on the user’s device. Authentication is enabled when the private key responds to a unique challenge sent by the server holding the public key and the server verifies the response using the public key. The communication is cryptographically signed so the holder of the asymmetrical key can validate that the messaging passed back and forth is only between the expected user’s device and the Cloud ID server. This method ensures only authorized users can access the content.

Powered by Oracle® Cloud Infrastructure, Cloud ID provides a modern, custom and turnkey identity management platform for premium, globally renowned streaming entertainment, content and service provider companies, with use cases spanning traditional MVPDs, telcos, healthcare, hotels, airlines, rewards programs and more. Cloud ID leverages Synacor’s expertise in creating breakthrough identity management solutions to move toward the industry goal of frictionless customer experiences that retain high levels of security. Cloud ID reaches more than 200M subscribers and manages more than 30M unique sign-ins per month.