Use Passkeys Instead of Passwords

The most common method of authentication is still a password, but the problem is passwords are also one of the weakest ways to authenticate an end user. Passwords are all too often easy to guess or steal. ‘123456’ is the most used password in the world and the easiest to crack - usually in the amount of time it takes to type it in. Also, many people use the same password across several accounts, making them vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Crack one and you crack them all.

It is it easier for criminals to breach credentials when workers who typically juggle a lot of passwords create weak passwords, store them in a non-secure way, and use the same password for numerous logins or accounts, which is a boon to both convenience and Cybersecurity.

61% of all data breaches involve stolen or hacked login credentials.

Passkeys, which are more secure than passwords, have emerged in recent years and been proven to be a better solution. They are also a much more convenient way to log into your accounts.

How do passkeys work?

A passkey generates a unique code for each login attempt, which is created using a cross-combination of information about the user and the device they are using to log in. The code is then validated by the server.

This type of digital credential is tied to the user account and the website or application one is attempting to access. A passkey allows someone to authenticate and log into a web service or a cloud-based account without the need to enter a username and password.

Passkeys leverage Web Authentication (WebAuthn), which is a core component of FIDO2, an authentication protocol. Instead of using a unique password, it uses public-key cryptography for user verification.

The authentication key is stored on the user's device, such as a computer, mobile device, or security key device. It is then used by sites that have passkeys enabled to log the user in.

What are the benefits of a passkey?

To seriously consider switching to passkeys, let’s examine the Pros and Cons:

Pros

Enhanced Cybersecurity

One of the main advantages of passkeys is the boost to Cybersecurity: they are more secure than passwords and much more difficult to hack. This is true especially if the key is generated from a combination of device data and biometrics.

Device information includes things like the device's MAC address or location, where biometric data includes things like facial recognition and retina or fingerprint scans personal to the user. This makes it much harder for hackers to gain access to your accounts.

More Convenient

Combining convenience with enhanced security is a winning combination, and passkeys more convenient than passwords by a country mile, so they eat up less of the user’s time. With password authentication, users often must remember many complex passwords or use a Password Manager, which can be tedious and time-consuming.

Add to that the fact that people forget passwords all the time and click on ‘Forget Password’ to reset it which invariably slows an employee down. Each time a person has to reset their password, the process takes an average of three minutes and 46 seconds.

Passkeys don’t have this problem - they provide a single code that you can safely use across all your accounts, making it much easier to log in. It also reduces the likelihood of forgetting or misplacing your password.

Stops Credential Phishing Attacks

Phishing scams have long been one of the most prevalent attacks to glean a user’s credentials. Scammers send emails that tell a user something is wrong with their account. They click on a link that takes them to a disguised login page created to steal their username and password.

When employees use passkeys for authentication, the phishing tactic won’t work on them because they don’t have a username and password. Hackers would need the device passkey authentication to breach the account.

Cons

There are some issues that you may run into when adopting passkeys right now, even though they are definitely forward-looking in authentication technology.

Passkeys Are Not Yet Widely in Use

Just like most technology, a disadvantage is that passkeys are not yet widely adopted. It’s like having a 5G smartphone when all the cell towers near you are just 4G. What good does it do if websites and cloud services don’t have passkey capability yet, and still rely on passwords. We have to wait for them to get on board with the technology.

We may have to continue using passwords for some accounts until passkeys become more widely adopted. Juggling passkeys for some accounts and passwords for others could be slightly awkward, but it still lays a good foundation while we wait for accounts and websites to catch up.

You Need Extra Hardware & Software

While passwords are free and easy enough to use, you need extra hardware and software to generate and validate the codes for passkeys. This can be costly for businesses to put in place at first. But the Return on Investment (ROI) comes in the forms of productivity and improved Cybersecurity. These benefits can easily outweigh the cost of passkeys.

Be Ready for the Future of Authentication

They are more secure and convenient than passwords, so passkeys are well worth consideration. They are more difficult to hack, and they make it easier to log into your accounts. But they are not yet widely adopted, and businesses may need to budget for implementation. Just keep in mind that these costs will always be less than the cost of a data breach.

These challenges are fairly small when passkeys represent such a promising solution. They are truly an important steppingstone to the future of authentication. Getting rid of weak, easily cracked passwords means less risk to the business.