Application security Kiwi insights
Passwords, passkeys, or SSO: choosing sign-in for a SaaS product
Choose authentication methods from user risk, recovery, accessibility, procurement, and support needs instead of treating login as a feature checklist.
Sign-in is a risk and operating decision, not only an interface. Passwords, passkeys, and single sign-on change account recovery, support workload, enterprise procurement, accessibility, and the consequences of a compromised device or identity provider.
Start with users, assurance, and recovery
Define who signs in, what access the account unlocks, what damage an account takeover could cause, and how a legitimate user recovers access. A low-risk consumer tool and an enterprise system holding sensitive records should not inherit the same authentication plan by default.
Understand what each route commits you to
- Passwords are familiar and broadly supported, but require secure storage, reset flows, abuse controls, and compatibility with password managers.
- Passkeys use public-key credentials and can reduce reliance on memorized secrets, but product teams still need clear device, cross-device, and recovery behavior.
- Enterprise SSO can align access with a customer’s identity lifecycle, but introduces protocol, configuration, tenant, support, and availability dependencies.
Do not make authentication a cognitive test
WCAG 2.2 includes accessible-authentication criteria intended to prevent cognitive-function tests unless an alternative or assistance is available. Allow password managers and pasting where relevant; do not block normal assistive mechanisms in the name of security. Test sign-in, failure, recovery, and reauthentication with representative users and input methods.
Stage capability around real demand
An MVP may support one well-implemented method and a documented path to another. Record which customer, security, or procurement evidence would trigger passkeys, SSO, or stronger authentication. Avoid shipping several weak recovery paths merely to claim broad support.
Kiwi can help define and implement authentication requirements within an agreed product scope. High-assurance identity architecture, formal security assessment, compliance, and incident response require appropriately qualified specialists.