Blog written by Jordan Westcott, Operations Director at Timewade.
Tech giant Microsoft recently announced a significant change to their security policy that will mean users no longer need to enter a traditional password to access their online accounts.
According to Microsoft there are 579 password attacks every second, and while users can create strong passwords and store them securely using a password manager, many end up forgetting their password details, or writing them down, creating a security risk. A large number of Microsoft users have said that they would prefer to have passwords removed entirely.
Microsoft has therefore pledged to develop a secure system, whereby users can log into accounts without needing to remember sign-in information.
If you’re interested in removing the need for a password, you can now use the Microsoft Authenticator app, Windows Hello, a security key or a verification code sent to your phone or email to access your Microsoft accounts.
Getting started with passwordless access
- Download the Microsoft Authenticator app to your devices
- Sign in to your Microsoft account
- Visit settings and select “Advanced Security Options” followed by “Passwordless account”. This feature needs to be enabled (from this menu you can also enable two-step verification for additional security)
- Once the Passwordless account has been enabled, follow the on-screen prompts and then approve the notification in your Authenticator app
If you decide that passwordless access isn’t for you, you can always add it back in the settings.
Our take on passwordless accounts
There’s nothing more frustrating than losing or forgetting your password, and going through the process of resetting your account access. It’s time consuming and delays you getting on with your important work. So, removing passwords sounds like a great idea and one less thing for our busy customers to worry about.
However, it is worth adopting all new technology with caution. Whilst Microsoft will do all they can to ensure your accounts are safe, and will be working with mobile phone providers to avoid attacks such as SIM cloning or call forwarding, hackers will inevitably be working in the background to find new ways to intercept codes and access your accounts.
Whether or not passwordless access is for you, we would like to remind our customers to remain vigilant to cyber security threats by keeping their devices safe and close wherever you are working, and storing passwords (if you use them) in a secure location.
If you’re interested in going passwordless, or have concerns about cyber security, please contact the team at Timewade for chat.
