The provider confirmed it will contact members about any changes that affect them
Nationwide Building Society has issued a statement regarding updates to its account security protocols. The organisation clarified its policies following questions raised by a customer.
The person contacted the savings giant about new guidance from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). The body, which operates under GCHQ, has advised people to switch from traditional passwords to passkeys. The centre stated that passkeys are “more secure” than passwords. The security experts also said they have noted a shift towards this modern form of authentication.
In new guidance published on April 23, the group said: “The digital industry is moving rapidly towards offering passwordless authentication for logging into online services and accounts, and many major platforms already support it. The NCSC supports the public adoption of passkeys and recommends using passkeys over passwords wherever available.”
Passkeys work by generating a unique piece of digital data that connects your device to the service or account you’re logging into. When using a passkey, you may be required to use a built-in biometric sensor on your device, such as a fingerprint scan or facial recognition, or by entering a pin code.
Following the NCSC’s recommendations, one Nationwide member was keen to find out whether the provider would adopt the security measure. They queried: “Nationwide does not appear to have issued a statement about why it does not use them for banking.
“As your customer I would like a statement please about when you will adopt passkeys.”
Nationwide response
Nationwide responded by outlining its current policies. The building society said: “At present Nationwide has not adopted passkeys, any future changes will be clearly communicated in advance.
“We don’t currently have an announcement or timeline to share on passkeys. However, we appreciate you taking the time to raise this topic.”
Account access rules
The current process for logging in to online banking with Nationwide vary depending on how you access the service.
For app users, you have the option to either log in using your fingerprint via Touch ID, verify your identity through Face ID using your camera, or simply enter selected digits from your passnumber.
To access internet banking, you’ll need to open up the log in page first. From there, you enter your customer number and date of birth before selecting continue.
Following this, you have two options: input your passnumber and receive a verification code via text message, or alternatively use your debit card and card reader to complete the sign-in process.
