Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Sep 18, 2025

Microsoft's passwordless plans lets users switch to app-based login

Microsoft's passwordless plans lets users switch to app-based login

Microsoft has announced users can now delete all passwords from their accounts and instead login using an authenticator app or other solution.

The technology giant made passwordless accounts available for business users of its products in March.

And that system is now being made available to all Microsoft or Windows users.

It said "nearly 100% of our employees" were already using the new, more secure system for their corporate accounts.


If passwordless login is enabled, users re-logging in to a Microsoft account will be asked to give their fingerprint, or other secure unlock, on their mobile phone.

And this is far more secure than using passwords, which can be guessed or stolen, according to Microsoft.

"Only you can provide fingerprint authentication or provide the right response on your mobile at the right time," it said.

Windows users will still be able to use quick-login features such as a Pin code, though.

Some rare exceptions will still need passwords, such as Office 2010, Xbox 360 consoles, and Windows 8.1 or earlier machines.

And if access to the authenticator app is lost - for example, if the phone it is installed on is lost or stolen or a user forgets when upgrading - backup options can be used, including:

*  Windows Hello facial recognition, which requires a compatible laptop or special camera
*  a physical security key, which must be used on the device logging in
*  Short Message Service (SMS) or email codes

But SMS and email are two of the most common channels for cyber-criminals targeting specific individuals

And Microsoft says security-conscious users who have two-factor authentication set up will need to have access to two different recovery methods.

Microsoft's messaging tells customers no passwords are more secure

Prof Alan Woodward, part of a research team investigating passwordless authentication, at the University of Surrey, called it "quite a bold step from Microsoft".

"This isn't just logging into PCs, it's logging into online services as well" - including important ones such as cloud storage, he said.

Microsoft laid out its reasons for the new system in a series of blog posts.

Security vice-president Vasu Jakkal wrote: "Passwords are incredibly inconvenient to create, remember, and manage across all the accounts in our lives.

"We are expected to create complex and unique passwords, remember them, and change them frequently - but nobody likes doing that."

The separate authenticator app - not pictured in this stock photo - is claimed to be more secure than a password

Instead, people tended to create insecure passwords that technically cleared the bar for using symbols, numbers or case sensitivity - but in order to remember them, used a repeated formula or the same password on multiple websites.

And that led to hackers guessing them or revealing them in a data breach and reusing them.

"Hackers don't break in, they log in," the blog post read.

'Pummelled home'


The new passwordless feature greets users with a box saying: "A passwordless account reduces the risk of phishing and password attacks."

And once the feature is set up, a confirmation tells users: "You have increased the security of your account and improved your sign-in experience by removing your password".

Microsoft's claims about poor password use were largely true, Prof Woodward said.

"The message has been pummelled home about what good password hygiene looks like - but it's easier said than done," he said.

Passwords were a decades-old concept "and maybe the time is now right to start looking for something different".

But there were no currently agreed standards.

"There are a number of different ways this could be done - and it would be good if everybody moved on, really, and tried to find a way of doing this," Prof Woodward said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
×