Introducing Soft U2F, a software U2F authenticator for macOS
In an effort to increase the adoption of FIDO U2F second factor authentication, we’re releasing Soft U2F—a software-based U2F authenticator for macOS. Soft U2F currently works with Google Chrome and…
In an effort to increase the adoption of FIDO U2F second factor authentication, we’re releasing Soft U2F—a software-based U2F authenticator for macOS.
Soft U2F currently works with Google Chrome and Opera’s built-in U2F implementations, as well as with the U2F extensions for Safari and Firefox.
When a site loaded in a U2F-compatible browser attempts to register or authenticate with the software token, you’ll see a notification asking you to accept or reject the request. You can experiment on Yubico’s U2F demo site:
And as of today, you can download the Soft U2F installer and configure it for use with your GitHub account.
Interested in learning more? Head over to our Engineering Blog and read more about the motivations for the project plus the security considerations of hardware vs. software key storage.
Written by
Related posts
Year recap and future goals for the GitHub Innovation Graph
Discover the latest trends and insights on public software development activity on GitHub with data from the Innovation Graph through Q3 2025.
Help shape the future of open source in Europe
Read GitHub’s position on the European Open Digital Ecosystem Strategy and learn how to participate.
Build an agent into any app with the GitHub Copilot SDK
Now in technical preview, the GitHub Copilot SDK can plan, invoke tools, edit files, and run commands as a programmable layer you can use in any application.