Losing control of your online accounts after a data breach is a nightmare scenario, but hardware security keys like the Yubico Security Key C NFC ($29 as tested) have been effective when it comes to keeping bad guys at bay. The Security Key C NFC supports the latest and best multi-factor authentication (MFA) options for security keys, and it stores passkeys. Best of all, it delivers Yubico's signature high-quality design at a price that's a fraction of the professional-level YubiKey line. The Security Key C NFC is a PCMag Editors' Choice winner and earns our highest score due to its low price and usability.
Exploring Yubico's Security Keys
The Security Key NFC line comes in two flavors: USB-A, which has an unshielded USB-A connector and costs $25, and USB-C, which costs $29 and has a USB-C connector. This review focuses on the USB-C model, which is called the Security Key C NFC.
Aside from their connectors, the design of the USB-A and -C Security Key NFC models are nearly identical. Both are rated IP68, meaning they are dustproof and protected against immersion in water.
It's hard to tell the Security Key C NFC from its more expensive cousin, the Yubikey 5C NFC. On the back of the Security Key C is the word FIDO printed in white, while the YubiKey 5C NFC has a tiny QR code and numbers printed on its backside.
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The front of the Security Key C NFC has a hole punched out of the plastic housings and is reinforced with metal for hanging on a keychain or lanyard. Below that, the key feature is a gold-colored metal disk emblazoned with a Y. The letter lights up green when the device is connected to a computer. During authentication, you tap the metal disk—which is capacitive—as a liveness test, confirming that a real human being is using the key.
How Much Does the Yubico Security Key C NFC Cost?
The Security Key C NFC is $29 and supports the following authentication standards: FIDO2 CTAP1, FIDO2 CTAP2, Universal 2nd Factor (U2F), and WebAuthn. That's enough to handle just about any login scenario the average person will encounter when securing an online account. You can also store up to 100 passkeys on the device.
Why Do I Need A Security Key?
The $55 Yubikey 5C NFC, on the other hand, supports all those standards as well as OATH-TOTP, OATH-HOTP, OpenPGP, smart card authentication (PIV), and Yubico OTP. It's a device with a wide range of protocols that's more useful in business settings where people use a lot of different software platforms throughout the day.
The YubiKey 5 Series also comes in several different form factors, ranging from tiny devices that live almost entirely inside your computer's USB port to the $75 YubiKey 5Ci's unique double-sided design that features both a USB-C and an Apple Lightning connector.
The $95 YubiKey C Bio, meanwhile, supports the same standards as the Security Key C NFC, but adds fingerprint reading to the mix. The $69.99 Kensington VeriMark Guard USB-C Fingerprint Key also provides biometric authentication at a lower price point.
With its focus on affordability and general use, the Security Key C NFC is most comparable with Google's USB-C/NFC Titan Security Key and the open-source Nitrokey FIDO2. Google's offering is well-made and but a little more expensive at $35, and it stores up to 250 passkeys.
Hands On With the Yubico Security Key C NFC
Using a hardware security key is pretty easy. Just plug it in when a website tells you to, touch the key to prove you're a human, and you're done. We really like that Yubico has a lot of helpful videos on its website to help new users enroll their hardware security keys on different platforms.
We were able to attach the Security Key C to an X account by visiting the profile's Security and Privacy section, following the on-screen prompts, inserting the key into a desktop computer's USB-C port, and tapping the key as instructed. The next time we logged into the X account, it requested a touch confirmation via the security key to verify our identity.
Tests using passkeys stored on the Security Key C on other platforms went smoothly. For the mobile test, we created a passkey for a Google account and stored it on the Security Key C using a Samsung Galaxy A71. We were able to use the key's NFC capability during the setup process. Oddly, Google identified the Yubico Security Key C as an Apple iCloud device first, and we had to rename it by tapping the Edit button. We used an iPhone 13 Pro to log into the account again, this time using only the passkey stored on the Security Key C NFC. It worked like a charm, no password required.
Verdict: The Best Security Key for Most People
The Yubico Security Key C NFC has all the compatibility you'd want from a hardware security key, with an outstanding design and a price that's easily within impulse-buy territory. It's not a Swiss Army device like the YubiKey 5C NFC, and it doesn't offer the biometric technology found in the Yubikey Bio. We think that's fine because the Security Key NFC is intended to work for the most people—which it does seamlessly—not the most situations. It's our Editors' Choice winner for hardware security keys and our top choice for anyone looking to try hardware security keys for the first time.
Affordable, simple, and oh-so-secure, the Yubico Security Key C NFC is the best option for most MFA scenarios people will encounter.
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