Microsoft announces the end of passwords in fight against hackers

Those with Microsoft accounts will no longer need to remember a password as the tech company rolls out its global passwordless sign-in.

Microsoft has announced it will be permanently doing away with using passwords to sign in across all of its platforms.

The tech company revealed this week it would be bolstering support for passwordless logins to Microsoft accounts including Outlook, OneDrive and FamilySafety.

Users would instead be able to use the Authenticator app, Windows Hello, a security key, or a verification code sent to their phone or email.

It followed a successful launch of passwordless sign-in for enterprise users in March, with the same to be rolled out globally in the next few weeks.

“We are expected to create complex and unique passwords, remember them, and change them frequently, but nobody likes doing that either,” Microsoft CVP of identity and management Vasu Jakkal wrote in a company blog post.

Microsoft passwordless sign-ins will be rolled out globally in the coming weeks. Picture: AFP

The switch would make it significantly harder for hackers to log in to people’s devices, Mr Jakkal said.

“Weak passwords are the entry point for the majority of attacks across enterprise and consumer accounts. There are a whopping 579 password attacks every second – that’s 18 billion every year,” he wrote.

“Passwords are incredibly inconvenient to create, remember and manage across all the accounts in our lives.”

Hackers had become almost impossible to outsmart entirely, given the access they often had to techniques like automated password spraying and phishing, Mr Jakkal said.

“A quick look at someone’s social media can give any hacker a head start on logging into their personal accounts. Once that password and email combination has been compromised, it’s often sold on the dark web for use in any number of attacks,” he said.

To go passwordless, users just need to install and link the Microsoft Authenticator app with their personal account, then turn on “passwordless account” in their Advanced Security Options.