How Passwordless Authentication is Enhancing Security By Vishal Pratap Singh

How Passwordless Authentication is Enhancing Security

Vishal Pratap Singh | Friday, 24 December 2021, 17:05 IST

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In today’s day and age, digital workers rely on a wide variety of applications to perform their jobs. These applications force users to memorize and track a dizzying array of frequently changing passwords. The global study provides evidence that the need to migrate from traditional passwords and the risks they pose continues to grow, and is even more apparent in a work from anywhere world. Passswordless Authentication strengthens security by eliminating risky password management practices and reducing attack vectors. It has the ability to improve user experiences by eliminating password and secrets fatigue.

Users get the convenient and secure access of applications and services using other authentication methods such as fingerprint, voice or facial recognition, retina scanning and mobile phone applications. According to a study conducted by Gartner, 90 per cent of the mid-sized and 60 per cent of global enterprises will shift towards Passwordless Authentication by 2022. The global Passwordless Authentication Market size is estimated to be USD 35.48 billion in 2019 and is predicted to reach USD 456.79 billion by 2030 with a CAGR of 29.1 per cent from 2020-2030. 

Provides Security Token

Passwordless Authentication is typically deployed in conjunction with Single Sign-On. Therefore, an employee can use the same proximity badge, security token or mobile app to access all their enterprise applications and services. “Most often Passwordless Authentication is used as part of a Multi-Factor Authentication solution, where users are forced to provide multiple forms of evidence to gain access to enterprise applications and systems”, says Saket Modi, CEO of Lucideus. For example, to access a mobile phone app, a remote user is required to tap a fingerprint sensor and enter a one time, short-lived SMS code sent to their phone.

Protects from Phishing

Phishing attacks have become prevalent type of cyber-attack in the last one decade which comprises of more than 80 per cent of reported attacks. In most of the cases, it is seen that the attacker aims to deceive the users into comprising their login credentials. Passwordless Authentication uses some modern authentication methods that reduce the risk of being targeted via phishing attacks. This approach will save employees from providing any sensitive information to the threat actors that give them access to their accounts or other confidential data when they receive a phishing email.

Increases Productivity of Employees

Organisations always ask its employees to generate solid and complex passwords to improve security standards. This practice has become quite demanding and makes employees frustrated. The main reason behind frustration is that they have to remember a series of passwords whenever they login somewhere. Passwordless Authentication provides them more convenient and secure authentication options. This would allow users to gain quick and easy access to resources and result in less frustration.

Strong Cyber-security

Many organisations confessed that they experience losses of $3.92 million on an average from data breaches every year.  If cyber criminals get access to the employee’s password, it means that they have access to the company’s confidential data. Attackers can even get into other employees’ data and can alter it too. But when it comes to Passwordless Authentication, there is no need to worry as the hardware token only gives access to a few privileged users.

Increases Security of Supply Chain

Passwordless Authentication makes it very difficult for any third party to compromise the network and enter the database to install malicious code on the target’s site. Hence, this modern authentication method prevents software supply chain attacks and improves the security of supply chains.

Challenges in the Way

Resistance to Change

While going passwordless can provide a more secure authentication method, there are quite a few challenges in the deployment of a passwordless model. There are some concerns around resistance to change as most IT leaders and employees are reluctant to move away from traditional security methods and try new ones. Majority of IT and security professionals think that end users in their organisation would prefer to continue using passwords, as it is what they are used to.

Lack of Finances

Mostly chief of organisations reported that the initial financial investment required to shift to such solutions, the regulations around the storage of the data required and the initial time required to migrate to new types of methods are the biggest challenges for their organisation to overcome. Some industry experts believe that passwords are not going away completely when it comes to identity and access management.

The Way Forward

There is a clear need to find a solution that combines passwordless authentication and password management in today’s organisations. After the surge of pandemic, many organisations transitioned to a long term remote work culture. So, it is more important than ever for the organisations to give employees the tools and resources to be secure online in their personal lives as well as in the home office. Moving from conventional passwords to a more secure authentication method will improve an organisation’s overall security.

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