How To Go Totally Password Free On Microsoft Accounts
Microsoft today announced that you can now sign in to your accounts password-free, and it's apparently completely safe. The company has been rolling out passwordless entry into accounts since 2018 when Microsoft introduced security keys that allowed users to sign into accounts by connecting an electronic key to their Edge browser which could then be authenticated with an app. Additionally, Windows 10 was made passwordless in 2019, protecting users' privacy. While it might sound wild, the passwordless approach is actually very secure. Coming up with a secure password is typically difficult and a truly safe one would require multiple cases, numbers, and special characters, not to mention being fairly long. On top of that, users often reuse passwords over multiple accounts, giving potential hackers an easy window to exploit multiple accounts after breaching just one.
Hackers have grown more sophisticated in their approach to deciphering passwords and breaching security measures in recent years. T-Mobile recently suffered a security breach that left 47 million users' identities compromised, one of the largest in history. Another tech giant, Facebook, suffered a security breach that left 30 million users' accounts breached. This is especially harmful when you consider applications such as Tinder or Grindr that use Facebook as a means of signing in which can potentially endanger users. Password systems seem to be consistently beaten by hackers, and until now the only real alternative has been two-factor authentication or password managers.
That is where the new passwordless system with Microsoft comes in as an alternative. To use the newest version of the system you must first download the Microsoft Authenticator App, which is available on the Apple App Store, and Google Play store. Next, add your Microsoft account. This can be done by scanning a QR code on the account you want to sign into (showing the QR should be an option as you sign in). Alternatively, you can sign in with your current password which will then send a text verification to your mobile device.
Next, you will be given two ways to sign in to your account through the app: 'two-step verification from notification approvals' or 'two-step verification with one-time password codes'. For the former, whenever you sign in to your Microsoft account you will be given a notification which you'll need to approve in order to gain access to your profile. The other option, one-time password codes, will ask you for the code on your phone screen each time you sign in. The code is automatically generated and refreshed every 30 seconds. You can even use your phone as an outright key to your account with 'sign-in with your phone'. With this feature through Microsoft Authenticator, you can use face or touch ID to have access to your account. If you are using your account as part of a school or company you will need permission from the IT admin first.
Through this application, you can review recent activity, update your security info and add multiple accounts. The app design is basic but intuitive and requires a face or touch ID to even open as a third layer of privacy and safety. This application could revolutionize online privacy protections and become a thorn in the sides of hackers everywhere.
Source: Microsoft