Apple, Google, And Microsoft Join Hands To Roll Out Passwordless Sign-in Service

How would be life without passwords? Less anxious and hassle-free? Because honestly there is no dearth of passwords from your phone to banks. Using mostly apps comes at a cost of memorizing a new password and that at times becomes really frustrating. However, now presenting a solution to the problem, Apple, Google, and Microsoft are coming together to roll out a passwordless sign-in system.

In a press release, Apple has stated that the three tech giants are planning to expand support for a common passwordless sign-in standard that will be created by FIDO Alliance and the World Wide Web Consortium. Further, the press release mentions that the new capability will enable websites and apps in order to offer consistent, secure, and easy passwordless sign-ins to consumers across devices and platforms.

Kurt Knight, Apple’s Senior Director of Platform Product Marketing, said, 

Working with the industry to establish new, more secure sign-in methods that offer better protection and eliminate the vulnerabilities of passwords is central to our commitment to building products that offer maximum security and a transparent user experience – all with the goal of keeping users’ personal information safe.

Apple in the press release terms ‘password-only authentication’ as one of the biggest security problems on the web and also states that managing so many passwords is ‘cumbersome for consumers’ and due to which consumers end up using the same password for all the services. Furthermore, the statement mentions that the practice of using similar passwords can lead to account takeovers, data breaches, and even stolen identities.

Asserting that the passwordless technology will be available across Google platforms, Mark Risher, Senior Director of Product Management, Google, said, 

This milestone is a testament to the collaborative work being done across the industry to increase protection and eliminate outdated password-based authentication.

The passwordless sign-in system will enable websites and apps to offer an end-to-end passwordless option through which users will be able to sign-in using the same system as they do while unlocking their devices, for example, fingerprint, face, or PIN. Apple mentions that the new system will be helpful in providing protection against phishing and also sign-in will be more secured as compared with passwords and legacy multi-factor technologies such as one-time passcodes sent over SMS.

Alex Simons, Corporate Vice President, Identity Program Management at Microsoft said – “The complete shift to a passwordless world will begin with consumers making it a natural part of their lives. Any viable solution must be safer, easier, and faster than the passwords and legacy multi-factor authentication methods used today”.