Those who want to secure their Apple ID via two-factor authentication (2FA) can now do so on iOS and macOS. All you need is at least iOS 16.3 and macOS Ventura 13.2 as well as a FIDO-compatible security key.
FIDO (Fast IDentity Online) is a standard with which you can identify yourself online if all elements involved in the chain allow it, for example, the corresponding website supports it, as well as the browser and a small USB stick that serves as a security key. With the latest operating systems, Apple has made it possible to secure the Apple ID accordingly. However, this is not such a big improvement for most users, since almost all Apple devices now have biometric identification (first factor) and simply send a numerical code to another Apple device when logging in (second factor). Nevertheless, this further development is of course welcome and a little bit more secure, because the otherwise usual numeric code can no longer be intercepted at all.
The use of FIDO 2FA keys is especially practical if you want to secure Bitwarden or another password manager. There is no such thing as too much security. Or you want to identify yourself on websites with a second factor. Dies kann dann mit einer App geschehen, wie dem Google Authenticator, oder eben einem entsprechenden Stick.
It is important that you have set up two security keys. If you lose one, its activation function is lost forever. When setting up, Apple therefore requires at least two FIDO-compatible devices to be set up – Touch ID, for example, also counts as one.
You can set this up by going to your name in Settings on iOS and macOS and then adding the security key under Password & Security.
