CS Mar-Apr 2024

passwords
SHOULD YOU SAY ‘PASS’ TO PASSWORDS?
WITH GOOGLE MOVING TOWARDS A FUTURE WITHOUT PASSWORDS,
THE PATH HAS BEEN THROWN OPEN FOR OTHERS TO FOLLOW
Alex Laurie, Ping Identity: broken system
that needs to change.
Peter Barker, chief product officer at Ping
Identity, has been quick to identify why
he feels passwords are way past their
'best-before date' and how he hopes Google's
move to a passwordless future will prove to
be an inspirational force for change.
"Passwords have been a persistent security
challenge for the past seven decades, leaving
us susceptible to phishing attacks and the
looming threats of fraud and identity theft.
Consumers increasingly crave greater
convenience, without compromising on
security. The path we must embark on leads
us toward a passwordless future, though
this transition will undoubtedly require time
to be embraced on a grand scale.
"Notably, we have already witnessed the
widespread integration of biometric
authentication methods, such as facial
recognition and fingerprint scans, into our
daily lives. These technologies serve as
stepping stones towards the ultimate goal
of a world where the arduous task of logging
in becomes a thing of the past. However,
to truly reach this passwordless utopia,
the general public needs a better grasp of
the underlying technology.
"In light of these developments,", continues
Barker, "Google's decision to champion
passkeys as the default login option couldn't
have come at a better time. Sometimes, it
takes industry giants to take the lead, pushing
for change more assertively."
Meanwhile, Alex Laurie, SVP EMEA at Ping
Identity, points to how passwords also act
as a barrier to achieving a smoother user
experience. "Think back to the number of
times you've been locked out of a site or
app and had to go through the painstaking
process of resetting your password. It's a
broken system that needs to change."
Given such challenges, the most logical path
access management organisations could take
would be towards a passwordless future, he
continues. "While this transition will undoubtedly
require time to be embraced at scale on
both the B2B and B2C side, our research
shows that consumers welcome passwordless
authentication. In the UK, 59% said they'd be
happy to switch website/app/service, if a
passwordless authentication method was
offered."
Laurie feels that the move away from
passwords, led by major technology firms like
Google and Amazon, is the path that others
now need to go. "Passkeys signify a significant
leap forward, sparing users from the hassle
of remembering passwords and the constant
worry of someone stealing them. This proactive
move promises to reduce fraud, and
usher in a simpler, faster and more secure user
experience that we can all benefit from."
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computing security March/April 2024 @CSMagAndAwards www.computingsecurity.co.uk