Keeping your online accounts secure is becoming ever more important as we increasingly rely on the Internet for access to anything and everything. And just having a strong password isn't enough sometimes, so hardware authentication is turned to. One of the most popular authentication devices is the YubiKey by Yubico, and Yubico is about to offer us the world's smallest USB-C authenticator.

Companies including Facebook and Google rely on YubiKeys for managing employee credentials and account access. The USB sticks allow for secure logins using one-time passwords, public/private key pairing, and storage of reusable passwords. They come in a range of forms, sizes, and even support NFC (YubiKey NEO).

With the growing adoption of USB-C on devices, Yubico decided it was time to support the standard, but also used the opportunity to create the world's smallest USB-C authentication device. The end result is the YubiKey 4C Nano, which measures just 12-by-10.1-by-7mm, and almost disappears when slotted into a USB-C port. It costs $60.

The reason for using a hardware authenticator like a YubiKey is the extra security and peace of mind it offers. If someone steals your password for an account(s), it's useless to them without they also have your authenticator. By making the 4C Nano so small, it can be left plugged into a device when you're in a trusted location. If you're worried about losing such a tiny key, Yubico also offers the YubiKey 4C (keychain), which is larger and has a ring so it can securely fasten to a set of keys. It costs slightly less at $50.

The YubiKey 4C Nano is going to be popular with any security-conscious individual who uses a laptop with a USB-C port, and in particular MacBook Pro users. However, if a USB-C port isn't available to you, there are USB-A variants of the YubiKey 4 available, with the YubiKey 4 Nano also being tiny.