Apple, Google, Microsoft Move Closer to a Password-free Future

No one is happy about the prospect of clearing their cookies to resolve an IT problem. That’s because this process means they will lose their automatic sign in to all the websites and applications across the web, and who can remember all those different passwords?

You did make all those passwords different from each other, right?

On World Password Day (May 5^th), security experts and tech companies took the opportunity to update the industry on initiatives they are taking to create a future that secures us without the need for passwords. It can’t come soon enough.

The Trouble with Passwords

Reused passwords have been the leading vector in cyberattacks over the last few years, according to the 2022 SpyCloud Annual Identity Exposure Report. The report also notes a 64% password reuse rate for users with more than one password in the last year.

But how do you remember all those passwords? NordPass research for 2021 shows the most popular password for that year was “123456” and the fifth most popular password was “password”.

It’s clear that something is broken in the world of passwords, and it has been for a long time. And while multi-factor authentication has provided an extra layer of security for organizations, it is also a speed bump for productivity, making workers stop what they are doing to type in a code or provide a fingerprint. The more inconvenient the security measures are, the more likely users will search for a way to get around them. For instance, users reuse passwords.

Read the rest of the article on InformationWeek.