Passwords are an integral part of connecting to a network. But if you don't want to remember a complicated password, what alternative methods are there to use?
Passwords are the most common form of authentication you've all used. However, passwords are not completely secure as if they are the same for a long time they could be breached with various imaginative techniques that hackers have discovered.
Alternatively you could use other authentication methods but each has pros and cons. Let's take a closer look at these methods.
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Where do passwords go wrong?
First of all, passwords require a good memory! If the codes you will use are easy enough, one hacker with one Brute force attack can discover them.
If they are hard enough not to exist in a brute force dictionary, they are hard to remember. Of course there are techniques so you have long and weird passwords that will be relatively easy to remember but still require a strong mind.
Naturally there are also password managers but you are still required to remember the one and only password for the password manager itself.
Also consider using a difficult and long password throughout so you can easily remember it after you use it over and over again. But if someone intercepts it then they will have the key to all the apps and services that share that password.
Leave the management mistakes made by users themselves when they unwittingly give away their passwords, such as when they use their neighborhood coffee shop's public Wi-Fi or when they carelessly download and install malware on their computer.
And ok, passwords are a problem. What other alternatives are there? Let's go see them.
Control with Biometrics
You can use them your biometric data to identify you. These are your fingerprint, retina scan, voice verification and facial recognition.
Since the above biometrics are unique to each person (always in theory as there are twins as well as random similarities) biometric authentication is a powerful security method. Plus there's no need to remember passwords and they're easily accessible since you're carrying all of the above wrenches always with you.
Even if a hacker manages to obtain a copy of your face, voice or fingerprint, using smart security tools and adding additional authentication methods can greatly minimize that risk.
Another, more complex method of biometric authentication is to recognize the typical waveform generated by each user's heart rate. It's called heartbeat or heart rate authentication, and while you don't need to do anything (other than be alive) to access your accounts, this type of authentication is geared toward high-security environments and is too expensive for personal use .
But while biometrics are more secure and user-friendly, biometric authentication requires specialized hardware and software, with additional costs, albeit small.
Also, biometric data is quite personal information, so some people they may feel uncomfortable to use them for authentication, since the services that require them may store them in their database.
Multi-factor authentication
Ο multi-factor authentication (or multi-factor authentication – MFA for short) is an authentication method that requires two or more verification factors before allowing access to an application or online service.
So, in addition to a password to fully verify your identity you will need to provide additional verification factors such as one-time passwords, geographic location or fingerprint scanning. The near-impossibility of both or more factors being intercepted by hackers ensures that you don't fall victim to fraud.
Although MFA is more secure than using a single static password, it is relatively inconvenient as it requires users to perform several steps. For example, if you lose a device you use for second authentication, you could be locked out of all your online accounts that use MFA.
One-time codes
Also known as dynamic passwords, or one-time passwords (OTP), they are passwords that can only be used for one login session. So, as the name suggests, this combination of characters can only be used once, which helps it avoid the disadvantages of static passwords.
While users' classic passwords remain the same, the one-time password changes with each new login. So stealing it doesn't make much sense to hackers, making some identity theft methods ineffective.
The three most common types of OTP are sending it via SMS or email or via a predefined list of codes. The disadvantage of OTPs is that you may not receive a code from your service provider due to its malfunction or delay due to low speedof connection to Internet.
The downside of the preset list is that you have to keep it somewhere and delete the codes you've already used. Rather inconvenient process.
Login via Social Media
This method allows users to log into applications and services using information from the social networking sites (such as Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn) that they are already registered and using. This simple and super fast login format is also a convenient alternative to standard, time-consuming account creation.
However, breaches and leaks have caused many users to distrust social networking when it comes to security. As companies continue to collect user data, privacy concerns with social network connections are heightened.
Security key authentication
It is about a technique where to log in to a service you need to enter a unique key that is stored on a stick which is connected to your computer via a door USB or Bluetooth connection. Every time you want to connect, you will have to insert the stick into your PC.
Security keys are sometimes confused with security tokens (or USB tokens), which are also physical devices, but these generate a six-digit numeric code when requested by the service. Although a similar technique, it is not the same.
While Security Keys can combat password-based attacks (phishing, credential stuffing, dictionary passwords, and more), they're still a relatively new player in the cybersecurity game, so you'll likely never see them. Additionally, if your security key is stolen or lost, you will have a major issue.
A password-free future
It seems that passwords are slowly dying and the future holds a different way of connecting to services. You can read about it in our article A future without passwords.
