Yubico, a company that sells physical security keys for two-factor authentication, today announced the launch of the new YubiKey 5C NFC, pairing USB-C and NFC support in a single device.
According to Yubico, the YubiKey 5C NFC is the first multi-protocol security key that supports smart cards. With the NFC integration, the YubiKey 5C NFC features tap-and-go authentication that works with all major browsers and operating systems, plus it continues to offer a physical USB-C connector.
Like other devices in the YubiKey lineup, the YubiKey 5C NFC is a hardware-based two-factor authentication dongle that is designed to work with hundreds of services to make logins more secure. It's more convenient than software-based two-factor authentication because you don't need a security code. Just connect it to a USB-C device or tap it on an NFC-compatible iPhone to authenticate.
"The way that people work and go online is vastly different today than it was a few years ago, and especially within the last several months," said Guido Appenzeller, Chief Product Officer, Yubico. "Users are no longer tied to just one device or service, nor do they want to be. That's why the YubiKey 5C NFC is one of our most sought-after security keys -- it's compatible with a majority of modern-day computers and mobile phones and works well across a range of legacy and modern applications. At the end of the day, our customers crave security that 'just works' no matter what."
YubiKey 5C NFC is compatible with common password management apps like 1Password and LastPass, and it also works on the web. It supports multiple authentication protocols such as FIDO2 and WebAuthn, FIDO U2F, PIV (smart card), OATH-HOTP and OATH-TOTP (hash-based and time-based one-time passwords), OpenPGP, YubiOTP, and challenge-response, so a single key can work with multiple services and applications.
Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below.
Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone.
In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
A U.S. appeals court has upheld a temporary restraining order that prevents OpenAI and Jony Ive's new hardware venture from using the name "io" for products similar to those planned by AI audio startup iyO, Bloomberg Law reports.
iyO sued OpenAI earlier this year after the latter announced its partnership with Ive's new firm, arguing that OpenAI's planned "io" branding was too close to its...
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Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.
One thing worth...
Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by Joe Rossignol
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs.
On his blog Daring Fireball,...
Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
There is uncertainty about Apple's head of hardware engineering John Ternus succeeding Tim Cook as CEO, The Information reports. Some former Apple executives apparently hope that a new "dark-horse" candidate will emerge.
Ternus is considered to be the most likely candidate to succeed Cook as CEO. The report notes that he is more likely to become CEO than software head chief Craig Federighi, ...
Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent.
Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....
Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies Johny Srouji could be the next leading executive to leave the company amid an alarming exodus of leading employees, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.
Srouji apparently recently told CEO Tim Cook that he is "seriously considering leaving" in the near future. He intends to join another company if he departs. Srouji leads Apple's chip design ...
We used Yubikeys in our org up through last year. They’re $50+ per piece. Our security team doesn’t allow us to deprovision/reprovision them for a 2nd use once they’ve been issued to the first departing employee because they could then contain malware and be compromised- even after following Yubi’s procedures to scrub them.
Needless to say, we don’t use them anymore because if you can’t safely repurpose an IT asset during its service life, it’s a showstopper.
If whatever you're trying to protect isn't worth 50 USD per employee why bother with the yubikeys in the first place? In most organisations I've worked getting a new employee hired, onboarded and trained up is costed in thousands of dollars at a minimum, 50 USD is insignificant compared to that cost, and items under 75 USD aren't tracked on our asset register.
We used Yubikeys in our org up through last year. They’re $50+ per piece. Our security team doesn’t allow us to deprovision/reprovision them for a 2nd use once they’ve been issued to the first departing employee because they could then contain malware and be compromised- even after following Yubi’s procedures to scrub them.
Needless to say, we don’t use them anymore because if you can’t safely repurpose an IT asset during its service life, it’s a showstopper.
Then I have to say as a fellow tinfoil-hat wearer that your security team is really not smart, or really doesn't understand the YubiKey.
It is not possible* for someone to alter the code on a YubiKey once it has been programmed and sealed at the factory.
To me this would be a whistleblower moment for higher-ups. They are throwing away both a massive capital investment, and quite literally (when used properly) the best tool they have against both phishing and lateral movement in their network, because they fail to adequately understand what they are working with and do a proper risk assessment.
Stories like this anger me so much. We need the best security we can possibly get, especially in an age where so many peoples' personal data is being collected and stored. But no, instead of asking the right questions, doing proper research, and doing a proper risk analysis, we're going to use something inferior.
(*as with anything else, yes, I'm sure it's possible somehow, but 1. not by persons of ordinary means and 2. not without physical destruction of the device or other evidence of tampering. Your security team is flushing value down the toilet over the smallest possible chance of compromise.)
I tell people that I use the last 6 digits of pi. With the people I used to hang around with, that usually got a few chuckles, and a puzzled look for whomever I was telling it to. So anyway...
