Increasing technological innovations and inventions breed a security concern. The good thing is that many platforms and apps have recognized there is a need to address the issue, and passwords have become essential. However, they have their share of problems; risk of phishing, scams, and other related issues. Do you think a move beyond passwords would help eradicate the concerns? Is the world an inch closer to a passwordless future? Please read on to find out.
What is Passwordless Authentication?
Imagine the cumbersome process of having to enter a password or username any time you visit a favourite app, account, or site. Keep in mind the hassle you have to go through to a point of getting the proper password; from mixing up letters to combining different numbers. If you are like many, you may not like passwords at all, and no doubt you may appreciate any move to get rid of them but still maintain your security. On the other hand, with passwordless authentication, you don’t need to go through all these. Rather it provides you enhanced security, and greatly reduces the chances of being scammed or phished.
So, what is passwordless authentication? This is a technology that allows a user to log in to an account or a platform easily without having to key in the password or username. Moreover, it provides more security to the user, and hackers and cyber thieves find it near impossible to steal, phish or do anything absurd with your password on a platform or an account. Therefore, with passwordless authentication, you are less vulnerable to a cyber-attack.
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Therefore, with all these amazing possibilities of passwordless authentication, you may be wondering, “How close is the world to a passwordless future?” If you are among the many who are wondering the same, you may be glad to know that we are closer than ever to achieving the dream of finally saying “Goodbye Passwords.” With such a future, businesses and different organizations can pick what works best and fits them best.
Are Passwordless Authentications Secure?
As earlier mentioned, this method is by far more secure than the use of passwords. Here, the users prove their identity by relying on factors like possession factors, e.g. an authenticator app on your device, or a biometric trait such as a facial scan or use of fingerprints.
Remember, using passwordless authentication solutions keep you away from any password leakage or interception. Furthermore, in case you use possession factors such as mobile apps, they have security to ensure at the end of the day you are protected. What’s more, some of them are good at monitoring fraud for a higher level of security.
Benefits of Passwordless Authentication
The following are some of the benefits you can get from using Passwordless Authentication;
Helps Improve User Experience
Passwordless authentication does not require any user to remember, cram, or master any passwords. A user interface that allows users to access the services without the need of remembering and typing any complex passwords makes the whole experience easy and efficient.
Enhance Security and Reduces the Chances of Fraud
The high rates of cybercrimes are increasing security concerns. Every user, therefore, wants a system that keeps them secure and protected. There are no passwords which attackers and scammers can have access and commit any fraud or cyber-attack thanks to passwordless authentication. Besides, you may be at peace knowing too well that your account or platform has minimal risks of being compromised by an external attacker.
Helps Reduce Costs
There are a lot of resources needed to manage passwords. What’s more, you have to keep monitoring the password, and the need to change it may arise. On the contrary, passwordless authentication does not require any of these, hence a cheaper option. What’s more, the cost of being a victim of data breaches is high, and the new solution, passwordless authentication reduces such occurrences by huge percentages.
Therefore, now that you know the high level of security in passwordless authentication and other benefits compared to the use of passwords, you may be wondering why its popularity is not yet as massive as you would expect. Are there any barriers to the speedy adoption of a passwordless future?
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Barriers to a Passwordless Future
The following are some barriers that leave organizations and enterprises sceptical about implementing passwordless authentication;
The thought of it being yet another tech update
This is one of the things preventing some businesses and organizations from adopting passwordless authentication. Unfortunately, they bundle all tech updates together as one in some cases, and since they have the prevailing passwords and usernames in place, they might see no sense in changing them.
Therefore, more information, knowledge and research are necessary to show how secure the new solution is and how best it can benefit the businesses.
The transition concerns
Passwordless authentication as a solution ties them to their devices. On the other hand, users are prone to changing their devices. So, what happens in a scenario? To help them log in to their new devices without having to panic and call for help, backup plans could be of help.
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Some of the ways of ensuring the transition to a new device are smooth and stress-free include; a link to their email, a QR code, having a push authentication, or a one-time passcode or pin. These can help in case the device is stolen too.
- Not knowing the best approach to take to implement passwordless authentication.
This is a great challenge for businesses and organizations as they are not sure whether or not to force each user to get started with it, and what to do in case some do not want to or cannot use it. These are serious and valid concerns. You don’t have to work with a multitude. On the contrary, start small and put the users into subsections. Additionally, you could go for those who are at a higher risk first.
Furthermore, you can make it optional so that the users do not feel tied down to using passwordless authentication. Notably, be sure to document; have data showing the success cases as the journey towards an entirely passwordless future is ongoing.
Conclusion
The passwordless future is soon becoming a reality. Passwordless authentication makes it possible for improved user experience, and more security and reduces the risks of cyberattacks. Unfortunately, certain barriers prevent new businesses and organizations from adopting this tech solution. The good news is that there are ways to handle them, and ensuring passwordless authentication becomes a reality.
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