Blog Post
Passwordless RDP Authentication for On-Prem Servers with Smart Cards (FIDO2 Security Key)
This is a great guide on how to set up smartcard authentication for RDP, but how is this FIDO2? The type of authentication shown here leverages WinSCard APIs, not WebAuthn APIs, you can only get true FIDO2 with RDS AAD authentication
This, 100%. FIDO2 and PIV are two different technologies altogether. Not all security keys support PIV, in fact, Yubico's "security key" is ONLY FIDO2, and you need a full YubiKey to support both FIDO2 and PIV. Great article about setting up PIV, but needs some serious clarifications.
- FarooqueApr 08, 2025
Microsoft
Hey ajf8729, I completely agree with your point. In fact, I specifically mentioned in my blog that we're using a smart card, and highlighted that some vendors provide the PIV feature in their security keys. In my case, I’m using a YubiKey which supports PIV and allows storing a certificate securely. The reason I included “FIDO2 security key” in the title was to raise awareness so that if someone is planning to buy a security key, they can also look for PIV support in case their use case requires it.
Appreciate your input!