Passwordless authentication is an authentication method in which a user can log in to a computer system without the entering a password or any other knowledge-based secret. Passwordless authentication relies on a cryptographic key pair – a private and a public key. The public key is provided during registration to the authenticating service while the private key is kept on a user’s device and can only be accessed when a biometric signature, hardware token or other passwordless factor is introduced. In most common implementations users are asked to enter their public identifier and then complete the authentication process by providing a secure proof of identity in the form of an accepted authentication factor. These factors classically fall into two categories:
Some designs might also accept a combination of other factors such as geo-location, network address, behavioral patterns and gestures, as so long as no memorized passwords is involved. Passwordless authentication is sometimes confused with Multi-factor Authentication, since both use a wide variety of authentication factors, but while MFA is used as an added layer of security on top of password-based authentication, passwordless authentication doesn't require a memorized secret and usually uses just one highly secure factor to authenticate identity, making it faster and simpler for users. "Passwordless MFA" is the term used when both approaches are employed and the authentication flow is both passwordless and uses multiple factors, providing the highest security level when implemented correctly.
History
The notion that passwords should become obsolete has been circling in computer science since at least 2004. Bill Gates, speaking at the 2004 RSA Conference predicted the demise of passwords saying "they just don't meet the challenge for anything you really want to secure." In 2011 IBM predicted that, within five years, "You will never need a password again." Matt Honan, a journalist at Wired, who was the victim of a hacking incident, in 2012 wrote "The age of the password has come to an end." Heather Adkins, manager of Information Security at Google, in 2013 said that "passwords are done at Google." Eric Grosse, VP of security engineering at Google, states that "passwords and simple bearer tokens, such as cookies, are no longer sufficient to keep users safe." Christopher Mims, writing in the Wall Street Journal said the password "is finally dying" and predicted their replacement by device-based authentication. Avivah Litan of Gartner said in 2014 "Passwords were dead a few years ago. Now they are more than dead." The reasons given often include reference to the usability as well as security problems of passwords. Bonneau et al. systematically compared web passwords to 35 competing authentication schemes in terms of their usability, deployability, and security. Their analysis shows that most schemes do better than passwords on security, some schemes do better and some worse with respect to usability, while every scheme does worse than passwords on deployability. The authors conclude with the following observation: “Marginal gains are often not sufficient to reach the activation energy necessary to overcome significant transition costs, which may provide the best explanation of why we are likely to live considerably longer before seeing the funeral procession for passwords arrive at the cemetery.” Recent technological advancements and changing business culture is continuously promoting the adoption of passwordless authentication. Leading tech companies and industry wide initiatives are developing better architectures and practices to bring it to wider use, with many taking a cautious approach, keeping passwords behind the scenes in some use cases.
Benefits and drawbacks
Proponents point out several unique benefits over other authentication methods:
Greater security – passwords are known to be a weak point in computer systems and are regarded a top attack vector responsible for a huge percentage of security breaches.
Better user experience – Not only users aren’t required to remember complicated password and comply with different security policies, they are also not required to periodically renew passwords.
Reduced IT costs – since no password storage and management is needed IT teams are no longer burdened by setting password policies, detecting leaks, resetting forgotten passwords, and complying with password storage regulation.
Better Visibility of credential use – since credentials are tied to a specific device or inherent user attribute, they can't be massively used and access management becomes more tight.
Scalability – managing multiple logins without additional password fatigue or complicated registration.
While others point out operational and cost related disadvantages:
Implementation costs – Although it is accepted that passwordless authentication leads to savings in the long term, deployment costs are currently a hindering factor for many potential users. Cost is associated with the need to deploy an authentication mechanism on an existing user directory and sometimes the additional hardware deployed to users.
Training and expertise needed – while most password management systems are built similarly are have been used for many years, passwordless authentication requires adaptation from both IT teams and end users.
