As time passes, various technology giants try to make passwords irrelevant. As you can see, this time for login is no longer 100 percent requires a password. Login to the smartphone simply use fingerprints, retinal scans, irises, even face scans. Various applications are also beginning to integrate biometric sensors to log into their services. If you have a Paypal account, on your smartphone you can directly login with fingerprint without having to enter a password. Even on certain phones (like Samsung Galaxy that have Samsung Pass feature for example), you can login to various banking websites practically through iris scan or fingerprint.
Microsoft also participated in this movement. In Windows 10 Micrososft introduces many new ways to login as a strategy to reduce password usage, among others:
- Using biometric sensors via Windows Hello, such as fingerprint (fingerprint), face, retina, even the most recent is using the palm of the hand.
- Using PIN
- As well as the most recent is using Authenticator App in Windows 10 S / S Mode
For those of you who do not know, in Windows 10 Spring Creators Update later, Microsoft will remove the password field in Windows 10 S / S Mode login screen. This will be done for you who activate the feature of Windows Hello.
Then how to login if no password field is displayed?
If your laptop has a biometric sensor, then you can login with the sensor. But if not then you can login with PIN or Authenticator App installed on your phone.
That way the password is completely removed from the Windows 10 login screen - and if this strategy works, it is not impossible to be embedded directly in all versions of Windows 10 whether it's S Mode or not.
I myself almost never use a password when logging in Windows 10 because it uses PIN features that are simpler, shorter, and easier to remember than Microsoft Account passwords - and certainly if my laptop has biometric sensors, I would choose to use it instead of having to type PIN or Password.
Various websites now also reduce the use of passwords by providing the feature list / login using social media like Facebook, Twitter, even Gmail, and so on.
But do these tech giant's efforts make the password completely extinct?
Password Still So Basic Standard
Although there is a lot of effort to reduce the use of passwords, but at the basic level, the password remains the main standard.
For example, though the PayPal application on mobile allows us to login with fingerprint, but when register is still prompted a password for basic authentication.
Although Windows 10 login can use biometrics and so on, but to register a Microsoft Account is also still prompted a password for basic authentication.
The same is true for social media or email, although you can login to various websites and services using social media authentication, but still to login to social media required password.
Most Universal Password
Until now the presence of biometric sensors is still limited to certain devices only. Not all laptops have biometric sensors such as fingerprint and so on. For the phone is the majority already equipped fingerprint sensor, but we must admit that password remains the most universal method of authentication.
You can use a password on any device, whether or not biometric sensor, not a hindrance.
This makes passwords a universal authentication method that everyone can use and is difficult to replace.
Password Still The Most Secure
Perhaps you are wondering, how can a password still be the most secure authentication method? For that we want to discuss an extreme case example. If only there was someone who wanted to open access on your laptop by force, and because of the importance of data in it you insisted not to give it, then the password / pin is the safest thing you can have. This is because the passwords are stored in your memory, and without you uttering to someone, it is impossible for them to know.
This is different from:
- The fingerprint, which can be opened if you are fainted and your finger is directly attached to the fingerprint sensor.
- Iris scanner, which turns (in the case of Samsung Galaxy S8) can be tricked using high resolution photos and contact lens installation.
- etc.
While the password .. ?? If you are adamant about not giving out the password whatever happens, it is impossible for someone to remove it from your memory. But of course the password also automatically becomes weak if you do not choose a strong password.
The three things above make the password difficult to completely extinct even though its use continues to be replaced by new methods that are faster, more practical, and efficient.
This phenomenon is the same as social media, messenger, and various other online communication media - which although more interactive and practical use, but difficult to destroy emails that until now remain the basis of the primary need to register almost all types of accounts and services.
Then how do you think, will the development of authentication features and future biometric sensors capable of creating extinct passwords?