Microsoft is pushing users away from passwords even more by making passwordless sign-in options available to all Microsoft accounts for consumers. For a long time, the tech behemoth, like many others in the industry, has waged a war on traditional password-based authentication. This is because weak or overused passwords can be guessed or brute-forced by automated attacks, making them a prime target for cyberattacks.
- A new future: To embrace a password-less future, Microsoft now allows you to erase passwords from Microsoft accounts. Customers will be able to login into Microsoft accounts using the Microsoft Authenticator app, Windows Hello, a security key, or an SMS/email verification code instead of a password starting today.
- Innovation at doorstep: The new option arrives just months after Microsoft started rolling out password-less authentication for commercial users in March to help people adjust to the realities of remote work. “When I think of security, I think you’ve got to protect your whole life,” says Vasu Jakkal, corporate vice president of Microsoft security, compliance & identity, in an interview . “It’s no longer enough just to think about work or home and anything in between.”
- Futuristic thoughts: Microsoft has been working toward a password-less future for years, and the pandemic has only accelerated things. “When you have digital transformation and businesses having to go remote overnight … the number of digital surfaces has increased exponentially,” explains Jakkal. “The number of attack surfaces has increased exponentially, so that was a big driving factor for us in accelerating a lot of our security initiatives.”
- A new system: In many respects, this conceptual shift makes password-less systems more safe, but people have become so accustomed to passwords after using them for decades that persuading them to try anything new can be tough. If you’ve taken the effort to set up a password manager, you may already feel like a lot of the stress has been lifted from the situation..
- Process: Download the Microsoft Authenticator app and link it to your Microsoft account to permanently eliminate your Microsoft password. After that, go to account microsoft.com, sign in, and then Advanced Security Options. Look for Password-less Account under Additional Security and turn it on. Then, via the Authenticator app, approve the update by following the instructions..
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