Criminal hackers would have to have the user’s device and biometrics or PIN to log in to their account. In a passwordless age, users could enjoy the freedom of knowing that no one can steal or guess a password and log in to their accounts. And depending on the site’s security policies, they may not have to use MFA. There is nothing to remember unless users choose the PIN option, which can typically be anything they like. Then they can prove their identity using a face or fingerprint scan or a simple PIN to log in, just like they do when unlocking their device. As of now, users can now completely remove the password from their Microsoft account.Passwordless technology leverages the user’s device as an authentication factor as they surf to a site and select their account. However, the trend is moving toward passwordless user accounts, where authentication takes place via other means (two-factor authentication).īack in March 2021, Microsoft announced that passwordless login was generally available for commercial users and that this feature was now ready for businesses around the world. On the other hand, passwords have been the most important security layer for access control to functions such as operating systems, mailboxes, Internet accounts, etc. Security researchers therefore sometimes say: Hackers don't need to break into systems, they simply log in regularly and that's it. The harvesting of passwords for online access is a prime target for phishing and cyber attacks. Users can't remember these passwords and write them down – or use trivial passwords that can be guessed. The problem Microsoft want to solve: Users don't like passwords because typing them is annoying and error-prone. This is described in this Microsoft article – I came across the topic via the following tweet. Logging in without a password should now also work via a Microsoft account. Logging in to Windows was previously possible via password, PIN or via camera using Hello.

Microsoft passwordless account