passwordless logins are happening
October 25, 2022
written by
Rex Vokey
passwordless?
Yeah, you heard me right. In fact, you may have already encountered it in your everyday web life! Have you used a site where, instead of entering your username and password, you entered your email address or phone number and had a login link sent to you? Congratulations – you just used a passwordless login.
what’s the big deal?
Well, besides the obvious advantages of not having to remember passwords, or use a password manager, passwordless logins are typically more secure. Rather than verify that you’re simply someone with the correct password to the account, it’s verifying that you are who you say your are, not your mom or your sister’s babysitter’s dentist. Not only does the message to you verify you are the genuine article, it also serves double duty as an alert that someone may be trying to get into your account.
it seems too simple.
Right! It is simple. And that’s a very good thing. But there are organizations, such as FIDO Alliance, that are working to make it even better and more secure. They’re working with big tech companies like Apple, Google, and Microsoft to create a standard way for users to verify they are who they say they are while at the same time making logins even easier.
what does the future hold?
Within the next few years, more and more services and sites will allow you to log in without using a password. Eventually, password breaches will become a thing of the past. We’ll still have other things to worry about, but it’ll be one less thing!