Nitrokey, makers of open source encryption USB keys, has teamed up with Nextcloud to secure authentication technology. With the new agreement, current Nitrokey hardware has been verified to work with Nextcloud and FIDO2 authentication technology will be developed in collaboration.

The Nitrokey Pro 2 and Nitrokey Storage 2 devices have been verified to work easily with Nextcloud’s one-time passwords for secure two-factor authentication (2FA), the companies said. This protects users’ accounts in the event of compromised passwords. Furthermore the USB keys feature a password manager, a cryptographic key store for email encryption and SSH administration. The Nitrokey Storage 2 also contains an encryption mass storage drive with the option of hidden volumes.

The two companies also plan to work together on the development of FIDO2 support in their respective systems, ensuring Nitrokeys can be used to securely log in to Nextcloud systems. With FIDO2 support, a technology based on the W3C’s Web Authentication (WebAuthn), users will be able to login passwordless with their Nitrokey.

Nitrokey and Nextcloud also seek to explore further collaboration, especially in the area of end-to-end encryption and secure storage of cryptographic keys. This is where Nitrokey HSM can provide a central key store to securely store keys and at the same time enable the organization with protected access to their keys, the official statement read.