Introduction

The YubiKey Bio Series offers the familiar YubiKey experience users have come to know and trust, but adds the convenience of a new biometric touch feature.

The series is comprised of two keys:

The YubiKey Bio - FIDO Edition (USB-A form factor)
The YubiKey C Bio - FIDO Edition (USB-C form factor)

Protocols Supported

Both keys in the YubiKey Bio Series support the FIDO authentication protocols, and will work with sites and applications that support the FIDO2 and FIDO U2F protocols (for more information, see YubiKey Bio and FIDO2 and YubiKey Bio and FIDO U2F). FIDO2 (sometimes referred to as WebAuthn) builds upon FIDO U2F, and is the standard which enables the replacement of password-based authentication.

The YubiKey Bio Series provides firmware applications to support two modes of authentication via the FIDO2 and U2F protocols (see YubiKey Bio and FIDO2 and YubiKey Bio and FIDO U2F). Even though the firmware applications are separate from one another, they both share the same PIN and FIDO reset capability. In fact, a FIDO reset will reset both applications (to manage these applications, see Troubleshooting and Tools).

Using the YubiKey Bio

To just start using the keys in the YubiKey Bio Series without going into any details, refer to Yubico’s setup page, which functions as a quick start guide.

The current guide, however, gives:

An explanation of the way the YubiKey Bio works and descriptions of the different user experiences with the various protocols
Full instructions for enrolling fingerprints using platform support:
- Using Chrome to Enroll Fingerprints and
- Using Windows to Enroll Fingerprints
Brief descriptions of the protocols supported in YubiKey Bio and FIDO2 and YubiKey Bio and FIDO U2F
A brief explanation of the role the Yubico Authenticator for Desktop plays in managing the YubiKey Bio, plus links for downloading it and to its documentation.

Usage Notes

The YubiKey Bio implements biometrics as outlined in the CTAP 2.1 specification. The best user experiences are provided by the YubiKey Bio with client applications and browsers that also implement CTAP 2.1. Applications and browsers that implement CTAP 1 or CTAP 2.0 will also work with the YubiKey Bio; however, the UI on client devices will not be as intuitive, and there may be some limitations.

To get in touch with Yubico Support, click here.