Microsoft is planning for its more than one billion users to stop using passwords to log into their accounts, Laptop Mag reports.
That doesn't mean Microsoft will remove any kind of protection when trying to log into an account. Instead, it's looking for more of its users to use access keys.
Keys (called passkeys) are a more secure way to log into accounts that Apple and Google have already started using since 2023. Microsoft plans to have an updated login and registration page for these keys (passkeys) for its more than one billion users by the end of April.
A passkey is a secure way to log into an account without using a password. Instead, passkey uses two unique keys known as a cryptographic key pair. One is stored on a device such as a smartphone, and the other is stored on the website you'll be logging into. Both keys must be used to access a site.
The important thing with passkey is that the user on the device uses biometrics or a PIN because when the user tries to log into the site, the device will have to use one of the two for authentication. Since the entire verification process is done electronically, all a person has to do is enter a PIN, use a fingerprint, or simply look at their phone for Face ID to confirm who is on the site.
The strength of keys is that they help reduce the effectiveness of phishing. If someone receives a phishing email that links to a website that looks exactly like a Microsoft login page, the user will not have a password to enter. Malicious actors also can't reproduce the key. | BGNES