The password will soon become a mere memory as technology keeps taking steps further away from it.
But considering that most people have terrible passwords and weak passwords lead to reduced security this is not a bad thing at all.
Microsoft is making it easier to transition to more secure and innovative protection ways by letting you sign into its services via two new methods that don’t require a password/username.
Microsoft announces that we can ditch passwords
You can now sign into your Microsoft Account using the Windows Hello biometric security or a physical security key, according to the company’s latest announcement.
As you know, there’s already available the Microsoft Authenticator app for signing in without having to use a password.
PC World reports that the page for a compatible Yubico key says that passwordless authentication works on Outlook, Office, Skype, One Drive, Xbox Live, Bing, the Microsoft Store, and Windows itself.
In other words, this new system works all over the place where you would use a Microsoft Account online.
Strict compatibility requirements
It’s important to note that ditching passwords come with pretty stringent compatibility requirements.
For instance, users will need to be running the Windows 10Octonber 2018 Update which was only re-released to the public a few weeks ago.
Users will also need to make sure that their security key is compatible with the FIDO2 CTAP specification.
Microsoft corporate vice president Alex Simons said in the post in which the new feature was being announced:
“The TPM stores the private key, which requires either your face, fingerprint, or PIN to unlock it. Similarly, a FIDO2 device, like a security key, is a small external device with its own built-in secure enclave that stores the private key and requires the biometric or PIN to unlock it. Both options offer two-factor authentication in one step, requiring both a registered device and a biometric or PIN to successfully sign in.”