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AI Security

Interview question · Identity, OAuth & Access Control

Why do passkeys resist phishing when one-time codes do not?

Both are 'something you have'. One can be typed into a fake page in real time; the other checks which page is asking.

easyEssentialNewPreparation tags: Google, Microsoft, AppleUpdated Nov 2026

Both are 'something you have'. One can be typed into a fake page in real time; the other checks which page is asking.

Make your first attempt

What would you say before reading the answer?

  1. 01 State the assumptions your answer depends on.
  2. 02 Explain the mechanism and choose a control.
  3. 03 Name a condition that would change your decision.

The worked answer includes an approach, scoring criteria and follow-up questions. Compare the reasoning with your own.

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What if · the follow-ups in this answer

The answer works through 6 follow-ups like an interviewer would

Your company uses SMS one-time codes for MFA, and attackers are running real-time phishing kits that proxy logins against employees.

  1. Why do one-time codes fail against these kits?
  2. What makes passkeys phishing-resistant?
  3. What if some employees cannot use passkeys yet?
  4. What if attackers target account recovery instead?
  5. What if a session cookie is stolen after a passkey login?
  6. What would your MFA plan be?

Each rung has a nudge, a model answer, the principle that carries over and the weak answer to avoid. Sign in free to open it.

UP NEXT ON YOUR JOURNEY
Next in this trackAn AI agent acts on behalf of a user. Whose identity does it use, which scopes, and how is access revoked?Next in this trackWhat is a confused deputy, and how does it show up in agents and OAuth proxies?Next in this trackHow do services authenticate to each other without long-lived secrets?
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