Remembering passwords is a pain, but soon you may be able to forget them for good.
For years, people have relied on a secret we share with a computer to prove we are who we say we are. But passwords are easily compromised through a phishing scam or malware, data breach or some simple social engineering.
With data breaches costing billions, the pressure is on to find more foolproof ways to verify someone’s identity, USA Today reports.
Newer forms of identification are harder to imitate: something we are (such as the contours of our face or the ridges of our thumb) or something we have (physical objects such as security keys).
Intuit, for example, lets users sign into its mobile apps with a fingerprint or facial recognition or their phone’s passcode instead of a password. Your fingerprint or screen lock can access some Google services on Pixel and Android 7+ devices.
The main reason why these new methods have yet to be more widely adopted is that there are many options being floated and little consensus on what will work best.
Companies, eager for attention and business, are holding out for solutions that strike a balance between convenience and security. With security costs skyrocketing and consumer trust flailing, the industry is under growing pressure to lock down our accounts, security experts say.
However, by 2023, 30% of organizations will use at least one form of authentication that does not involve a password, a significant increase from the 5% today, according to research firm Gartner. Read the full story.
