Admittedly passwords serve a purpose but no-one likes creating them, remembering them, or typing them in. Especially when we seem to collate more and more passwords over time.
I think I can say that we have all been there and experienced the sudden mood change when an application you are using suddenly logs you out, and you have to try to remember your password to go through login all over again.
It is frustrating for anyone!
This frustration could soon be history courtesy of Microsoft, Apple, and Google. The tech giants have joined forces to kill off the password for good.
Over the coming year, they plan to roll out no-password logins across all of their platforms, using the standard set by the Fast Identification Online Alliance (FIDO). This sets the worldwide standards for passwordless authentication.
Now that can be a bit of a mouthful, so some people call this passkey (it’s a lot easier to remember).
But how do passkeys work?
Passkeys work in a similar way to multi-factor authentication but with considerably less effort required. It is very simple. To log in to an application or something else that would have previously required your password you will use your phone to prove it’s really you.
Your computer will then use Bluetooth to verify you are sitting nearby. As Bluetooth only works a short distance this should stop many phishing scams.
Next, you will receive a verification message on your phone.
You will then unlock your phone in the usual way, with your face, fingerprint, or PIN.
And that’s it. You are logged in.
Passkeys rely on something called public-key cryptography. When you register with an application or website a key pair is made between the website and your phone.
These are really long numbers that are connected in some way. But you’ll never see them and you certainly don’t have to remember them. Your phone verifies the pair when you unlock it in the normal way.
And you don’t have to worry about losing your phone. It’s not enough to just have your device… someone has to be able to unlock it as well.
Your passkeys will be backed up in the cloud, so if you get a new device you can simply transfer over your information. In the same way, it’s now easy to set up a new phone to be just like your old device.
These passkeys are not only simpler for you but should keep your data safer.
There is no password for cybercriminals to steal. And your phone needs to be close to your computer to log in. It’s not foolproof, but it’s a lot better than the current situation with passwords and multi-factor authentication.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on this one. Are you excited to say goodbye to traditional passwords?
