Microsoft Urges People To Ditch Passwords

Microsoft’s security chief has urged people to ditch passwords and adopt biometric technology.

Data Protection & Information News: Microsoft recommends replacement of online password process… https://t.co/eGHtJVIIfn

— Travis Morley Law (@TravisMorleyLaw) May 5, 2019

Karl Barton, International Channels and Alliances at SecureAuth: 

“Our continued reliance on passwords is not sustainable and ultimately fails users. Experience shows us that passwords are an archaic method of authentication, is no longer enough against today’s threat landscape and are not user convenient. The reality is that people will continue to reuse passwords across multiple resources – despite advice against this – allowing stolen credentials to have far reaching consequences.   

Biometrics is taking an increasing role in security as it can have the dual benefits of offering a good level of security while being user friendly. Biometric technology is based on the fact that each person is unique – a person can be identified by his or her intrinsic physical or behavioral, and developers have seen a positive response from end users because the technology offers a non-intrusive user experience.   

However, no single security measure is beyond the reach of attackers and as we have seen in the news, even biometric solutions are not infallible. Devices will be hacked and sensors will be tricked. It is important to layer such technology with adaptive authentication methods, such device recognition, geolocation analysis, IP reputation and behaviour analytics. Effective security is very much about layers that is largely transparent to the user, dramatically improving security posture without negatively impacting user experience.”