With technological advancements, securing digital accounts has become crucial as cybercriminals leave no stone unturned to fulfill their nefarious maneuver. Traditional methods of ID verification and granting access to services just by asking for passwords & PINs have become outdated.
As per Verizon’s 2021 ‘Data Breach Investigation Report’ (DBIR), roughly 84% of data breaches occur due to vulnerabilities in weak passwords or using repetitive passwords for all accounts. In the menace of data breaches due to weak passwords, passwordless authentication comes forth as a secure and alternative way to ID verification. Let’s briefly explore this advanced technique, its crucial approaches, and how it works.
What is Passwordless Authentication
It refers to an advanced authentication technique replacing traditional methods of identity verification such as asking for names and passwords, which are prone to replication or spoofing. Individuals are authenticated based on their biometric modalities or one-time passwords (OTPs), eliminating the need to remember complex passwords. This technique may sound complex but it’s much better than relying on passwords or PINs.
A study discloses that 80% of online users implement the same password for each digital account, making it effortless for imposters to get unauthorized access to online accounts. Once the passwords are spoofed, cybercriminals sneak into digital accounts which could be bank accounts, social media accounts, or e-commerce accounts, and conduct illegitimate activities for personal interests.
3 Essential Approaches to Passwordless Authentication Everyone Needs to Know
Authentication without requiring passwords may be conducted via push notifications, magic links, OPTs, or biometrics. The credibility of this authentication lies in three crucial factors having access only to users, making it challenging for imposters to sneak into this information. These three factors are briefly expanded to enhance user knowledge and explore essence.
- Things Users Know refers to knowledge-based factors. The information that only users know like passwords or PINs or the questions that only users can answer, make it a reliable approach for authenticating genuine users.
- Things Users Have indicates possession-based factors. This includes physical tokens or authentication apps registered under users’ names. This authentication approach adds an extra layer of security to the ID verification process and enhances users’ confidence in the authentication process.
- Things Users are refers to inherence-based factors. Biometrics including facial features, fingerprints, or palm scans are the most advanced and reliable way for accurate authentication of users. Face authentication, a secured biometric modality that is unique to each individual, makes it effortless for users to get access to services online.
Working Principles
As passwordless authentication is an alternative way to traditional methods of ID verification, it includes multiple factors involved in the accurate verification of individuals. Instead of asking for passwords & PINs, users are required to provide OTPs or scan biometrics to get themselves authenticated.
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One-time Password (OTP)
OTP refers to passwords that can only be used once. You might have received OPT while opening digital accounts, to make it challenging for cybercriminals to sneak into your passwords. It facilitates both users and businesses, as users are no longer required to remember complex passwords and eliminates the heavy business have to invest in maintaining passwords for each users.
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Biometric Authentication
Authentication through fingerprints or facial scans makes it effortless for users to log into their accounts or unlock their devices. Face authentication presents remarkable benefits in this stance and provides a reliable alternative to passwords, enhancing overall security and improving consumer experience.
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Push Notifications
Users get notifications on their registered devices to authenticate that only genuine users are seeking to get access to services or log into their digital accounts. This approach comes forth as a reliable and secure method, indicating that genuine users get notifications on the devices they registered. These notifications are sent to registered devices only, making it harder for imposters to sneak into this information or spoof accounts.
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Magic Links
Magic links refer to links that can only be used once and sent to the email addresses provided by the users. For instance, if a user is seeking to log into an app, the app requires the user to provide an email address and a link is generated and sent to the provided email. The app actively checks the token and enables users to access the application, reducing the risks of unauthorized presence.
Enhanced Security & Improved User Experience
Passwords are no longer considered a secure way to verify identities, as hacking passwords isn’t complicated for sophisticated imposters. Authenticating users with biometrics, OTPs, or magic links is considered a reliable and secure way of ID verification. This approach enhances the overall security of digital accounts by restricting unauthorized access to online systems and services. In addition, this approach also improves user experience as consumers are no longer required to remember passwords for each account and save the time required to maintain passwords.
Indisputably, face authentication offers remarkable applications in ID verifications, however, users are not accustomed to this sophisticated approach. Proper education is required to increase user familiarity with this approach for effective implementation.