Yubico YubiKey C Bio Review (2024)

Yubico has long been the biggest player in the world of security keys, helping to shape not only the hardware but also the underlying standards on which all such devices rely. The company offers biometric security in the form of the $95 YubiKey C Bio. While expensive, this little device performs multi-factor authentication (MFA) using your fingerprints, which makes it much harder for bad guys to take over your accounts. It's missing some advanced features found in other YubiKeys, but if you need biometrics, it's an excellent choice. That said, our Editors' Choice winner overall remains the $29 Yubico Security Key C NFC because it's easy to use and budget-friendly.

Exploring Yubico's Bio Series

The Bio series consists of two keys: the USB Type-A version, which has an unshielded USB-A connector, and a USB Type-C version, which is what we tested for this review.

(Credit: Kim Key)

Connection differences aside, the two Bio keys look identical, which is a common theme among the Yubico keys, which tend to be small, sleek, and black, with gold metallic accents. The Bio keys replace the characteristic round metallic "Y" symbol with a round fingerprint reader. The keys are IP68-rated and crush-resistant, and they do not require batteries.

How Much Does YubiKey C Bio Cost?

There's no getting around it: These are expensive MFA devices. The USB-A version is $90, and the USB-C version is $95. The $59.99 Thetis Fingerprint Key provides biometric authentication at a lower price, but it isn't as responsive and easy to use as Yubico's biometric keys.

Yubico's Bio series supports FIDO2, WebAuthn, and FIDO U2F standards, which are the most widely used methods for MFA. You'll sign into your accounts using either a PIN or the fingerprint reader, and that's what you're really paying for. Otherwise, the features and capabilities of Yubico's Bio keys are the same as the $29 Editors' Choice-award-winning Yubico Security Key C NFC.

(Credit: Kim Key)

The newest version of Yubico's Bio key features the 5.7 firmware update. This ups the on-device passkey storage to 100, putting it on par with other security-key offerings from the company. YubiKey Bio's storage is still smaller than that offered by Google's Titan Security Key, which holds up to 250 passkeys, but it's more than enough passkeys for most users.

For business users or security professionals, the YubiKey 5 series of keys offers a bit more versatility than the Bio series keys or Yubico's Security Key products. For example, the YubiKey 5C NFC allows users to store up to 100 passkeys, and it supports the following authentication protocols: WebAuthn, FIDO2, Universal 2nd Factor (U2F), Smart card (PIV-compatible), Yubico OTP, OATH–HOTP (Event), OATH–TOTP (Time), OpenPGP, and Secure Static Passwords.

Do You Need Biometrics?

The YubiKey C Bio's main selling point is its fingerprint-reading ability, so it's fair to ask whether it's worth the price. We think there are a couple of good justifications for biometric security keys.

Theft is the first reason. Unlike a password or a smartphone (locked with biometrics, PIN, or password), anyone could use a stolen security key. Granted, it's extremely unlikely someone is going to track you down and steal your security key so they can break into your email account, but it's not impossible. A biometric key works only for you (or someone who is willing to dismember you to use it).

The second and more practical reason is truly password-free authentication. Some sites and services allow logins using passkeys. If you store the passkey on the hardware security key, you can log into your accounts using only a fingerprint: no PIN or password typing required.

One concern with biometrics is that the data could somehow be extracted or intercepted. Yubico told PCMag that biometric data never leaves the C Bio because it is stored within an onboard secure element chip. This, the company says, should also help protect against physical attacks to the device.

How to Set Up YubiKey C Bio

If you're new to using hardware security keys, Yubico has a lot of videos on its website with instructions for setting up your keys and using them to log in around the web on different devices. The marketing materials for the product state that the Bio keys are built "primarily for desktops," so we performed most testing for this review using a Windows 11 desktop.

Adding the key using Windows Hello was easy. After inserting the key into our computer's USB-C port, an on-screen pop-up directed us to give the key a name, and designate a PIN code. After entering this data, we were prompted to touch the key. Keep in mind that most other hardware security keys also have touch-confirmation capabilities, but it is not the same as biometric authentication.

(Credit: Yubico/PCMag)

To activate biometric authentication, you'll need to enroll your fingerprints. Visit your Windows security settings or navigate to the Security settings in the Chrome browser. The latter option is notable for being a multi-platform solution since you can set up your C Bio anywhere Chrome supports the feature. We were able to enroll multiple fingerprints in under five minutes. The setup process is foolproof, and we like that we don't have to trawl through a bunch of menus or screens to register the device.

Hands On With YubiKey C Bio

We tested the YubiKey C Bio by using it to log into a new account on X. After creating a new profile, we visited the Security and Privacy section. We attached the biometric key by following a series of on-screen prompts, then inserting the key into our desktop computer's USB-C port, and tapping the key as instructed. Next time we logged into the X account, it requested a touch confirmation via the security key to verify our identity, and we tapped it to authenticate. The process was quick and easy, as it should be.

(Credit: Twitter/Google/Kim Key)

We also successfully created a passkey for a Google account on the YubiKey C Bio while using a Samsung Galaxy A71 5G smartphone. The process was easy enough: All it required was inserting the key into the phone's USB-C charging port and tapping the fingerprint reader to confirm.

Verdict: Best for Biometrics

The YubiKey C Bio does a fine job of melding Yubico's design philosophy with biometric-authentication technology. The key remains sleek and durable while also supporting the latest in MFA standards. We were impressed with the quick onboarding process, and logging into our accounts using the key was easy.

That said, the device costs significantly more than the cheapest YubiKey 5 series, and it lacks that device's versatile authentication features. Newcomers to MFA keys would be best served with lower-cost options like our Editors' Choice winner, Yubico's Security Key C NFC, which costs less than a third of the price of the C Bio.