Yubico, a cybersecurity company that provides hardware security keys, is integrating third-party identity verification (IDV) into its YubiKey authentication ecosystem by partnering with HYPR and Nametag to accelerate passkey adoption.

The development comes as organisations seek to counter increasingly sophisticated AI-enabled impersonation and credential fraud, especially as remote onboarding remains prevalent in distributed workforces.

The collaborations will enable enterprises using YubiKey as a Service to remotely verify the identity of employees, contractors, or partners before issuing authentication hardware or activating PINs.

Organisations can select between HYPR Affirm or Nametag’s Deepfake Defense engine for this verification, depending on regional availability.

This supports a bring your own IDV framework that ties the verified identity of an individual directly to their FIDO credential, creating an auditable record for compliance and reducing the risk of unauthorised access from compromised identities.

HYPR CEO Bojan Simic said: “The combined strength of identity assurance and hardware security is unbeatable for securing remote access. HYPR is excited to partner with Yubico to deliver the essential Identity Assurance option that closes this crucial loop.”

By introducing verified identity checks at the point of credential provisioning and lifecycle management, Yubico aims to address weaknesses in existing onboarding procedures. These weaknesses can allow threat actors to gain legitimate access by passing pre-employment checks with stolen or falsified information.

The company said that this approach of verified identity checks streamlines user onboarding, decreases IT overhead for credential management, and tightens overall access control without adding manual friction for IT teams.

Nametag CEO Aaron Painter said: “Nametag is delighted to partner with Yubico, whose FIDO2 security keys are respected by security professionals and users alike.

“As the only provider of purpose-built, workforce-grade identity verification, Nametag is uniquely capable of proving that the person receiving and setting up a YubiKey is not just a real person, but the right person.”

The integration is positioned as part of a broader security architecture focused on Zero Trust, with verified users forming the first layer of assurance before hardware-based authentication is enabled.

Yubico said that unifying identity verification, credential issuance, and attestation within one workflow provides a clearer compliance trail and a more robust response to emerging threats from AI-driven attacks.

Yubico chief product and technology officer Albert Biketi said: “Yubico’s promise has always been trust made tangible, ensuring the person logging in is legitimate through hardware-based authentication.

“By integrating IDV capabilities, we will extend this trust across the entire user lifecycle, from identity creation to login.”