Introducing the PASSWORDLESS future!
Passwords are simultaneously the most critical, and yet most hated thing in IT security.
Few things trigger PTSD like not being able to get into your files 2 hours before a deadline because the server decided it doesn’t like your password any more.
Passwordless systems, known as Passkeys, represent a significant evolution in digital security. Traditional password-based systems have long been plagued by vulnerabilities such as weak passwords, password reuse, and phishing attacks. Existing improvements on the venerable password involve MFA measures like the Google and Microsoft authenticator apps, or hardware tokens, and are not all that easy to use.
I’ve often said that security and ease of use are competing trade offs. For once, it looks like that trend will not be followed, as passkeys are both more secure, and more convenient.
Passkeys are cryptographic keys that provide a higher level of security compared to passwords. They are typically stored on secure hardware devices like USB tokens or smartphones. Additionally, passwordless systems leverage biometric factors like fingerprints, facial recognition, or behavioral patterns for user authentication, enhancing both security and user experience.
In other words, a passkey combines 3 things:
1. Something you know: Your password.
2. Something you are: Your face, eyes, or fingerprint.
3. Something you have: Your smartphone (or other auth token).
This transition holds promise for reducing the risk of data breaches and unauthorized access. Users can enjoy easier access to their accounts without the need to remember complex passwords, while organizations benefit from heightened protection against cyber threats.
To be sure, some aspects of the Passkey ecosystem are not yet fully ironed out. Challenges such as compatibility, user acceptance, and potential single points of failure in passkey systems need to be addressed, but the FIDO alliance which includes companies like Microsoft, Apple, Google, Samsung, Lenovo, and many others (get the full list here).
Passwordless sytems are ready for use in the enterprise, and if you are keen to find out how you can use them right now, give us a call. We are all over this.
