Since its launch in 2012, Coinbase has become one of the most popular cryptocurrency exchanges. Based in the US, it allows users to buy and sell a variety of digital currencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and more.

Recently, Coinbase announced that it would be adding support for YubiKey, a hardware-based security key that can be used to authenticate your identity when accessing online services.

This is a positive move for Coinbase, as it shows that the company is committed to providing its users with the highest level of security possible. YubiKey is a very secure way to authenticate your identity, as it uses public key cryptography to ensure that only the rightful owner of the key can access the account.

This is much more secure than using a password alone, which can be guessed or brute-forced by attackers.

In addition to supporting YubiKey, Coinbase also offers two-factor authentication (2FA) via SMS or a mobile app. 2FA adds an extra layer of security to your account by requiring you to enter a code that is sent to your phone whenever you try to log in.

This means that even if someone knows your password, they would also need to have access to your phone in order to gain access to your account.

While 2FA is a good security measure, it is not perfect. In particular, SMS-based 2FA can be vulnerable to SIM swapping attacks, where an attacker gains control of your phone number and then uses it to reset your passwords and gain access to your accounts.

This is why hardware-based 2FA like YubiKey is generally considered to be more secure.

Overall, Coinbase’s decision to support YubiKey is a good move that will help keep its users’ accounts more secure. Hardware-based 2FA like YubiKey is more resistant to attack than SMS-based 2FA, and so this will help reduce the risk of account hijacking for Coinbase users.