Security experts have always backed the implementation of passwordless authentication to mitigate password attacks. Read on to know more about it…
All of our internet accounts require a username and password, whether it’s for social media, mobile banking, or our office. Since remembering and generating a new and unique password for each type of account is difficult, most of us reuse passwords across accounts.
People reuse an average of five passwords, both official and personal, according to a study by the Michigan-based Ponemon Institute, which is known for its research on issues of privacy and information. This means that a single hacked password can set off a chain of liabilities.
Several users’ passwords are simple abcdef, 12345, “password”, or their date of birth or anniversary date, which can be cracked on a daily basis using publicly available information from email IDs and social media profile. Even though several tech companies have recently implemented two-factor authentication and made special characters and numbers mandatory in passwords, none of this is foolproof.
A reason why the industry is working to make the world passwordless. In fact, according to Microsoft Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) authentication log data 2022, there are 921 password attacks every second, substantially doubling in frequency over the past year.
Working of Passwordless Authentication
Passwordless authentication works by replacing passwords with fundamentally safer authentication mechanisms. A password is compared to what is stored in the database in password-based authentication.
In certain passwordless systems, such as biometrics, the comparison is similar, except instead of passwords, a user’s unique characteristics are compared. For instance, a system might take a picture of a user’s face, extract numerical data from it, and then compare it to verified data in the database.
Comparisons may take place differently in other passwordless implementations. For instance, a system may transmit a one-time passcode to a user’s mobile phone through SMS. It is received by the user and entered into the login box. The system then matches the passcode entered by the user to the one it had sent.
in the case of digital certificates, they work in a way in which there is only one key for the padlock, and only one padlock for the key. A user who wants to create a secure account generates a public-private key pair using a tool usually through a mobile app, a browser extension, etc.
The private key is stored on the user’s local device and can only be accessed with an authentication factor, such as a fingerprint, PIN, or OTP. The user’s public key is provided to the system where user wants to have a secure account.
How Secure is Passwordless Authentication
Whether or not passwordless authentication is secure depends on your definition of safe. Yes, passwordless authentication is secure if safe means harder to crack and less vulnerable to the most prevalent cyberattacks.
If by safe you mean impervious to hacking, then the answer is no. There is no such thing as a absolute secure authentication system. Even if there isn’t an obvious way to hack it, it doesn’t guarantee the most sophisticated hackers won’t be able to get past its safeguards.
Passwordless techniques, on the other hand, are fundamentally safer than passwords. A bad actor might, for example, may use a dictionary attack on a password-based system, which is typically regarded the most basic hacking approach i.e. keep trying different passwords until you get a match.
A dictionary attack can be carried out by even the most inexperienced hackers. Infiltrating a passwordless system, on the other hand, necessitates substantially more hacking skill and sophistication. For example, a hacker can only spoof a fingerprint using the most advanced AI algorithms.
Is Passwordless Authentication the Future
Even while passwords are significantly less common than in the past, they are still used all over the world. The main reason is that a password-based login system is the simplest and most cost-effective to set up. However, security experts say that passwordless authentication will eventually take control.
More cyberattacks have occurred in the last two years than ever before. Many businesses are becoming increasingly concerned as biometrics and adaptive authentication become more widely used.
Furthermore, several businesses have learned that passwords are the main cause of data breaches. The cost of going passwordless pales in comparison to the fines and costs that come with a data breach.
Passwords, last but not least, is a hurdle for users. It’s difficult to remember passwords and difficult to reset. Passwordless techniques, such as biometrics, on the other hand, are more convenient and user-friendly.