As people, we share a lot in common. We love good food, quality time with friends and family, and sleeping in on the weekends. But there’s one less flattering connection we all have as well, we are bad at choosing secure passwords.
Some of us use password managers, like 1Password, with strong, random passwords, and that’s great. But many stick with the easy-to-remember passwords, like our cat’s name or simply “123456”, reuse them across different platforms, forget them, and end up clicking “forgot password” to repeat. 😬
If you’re looking to solve this problem for your users, and your own business, don’t worry. There is a better way. Many companies are moving away from passwords altogether with passwordless authentication.
Passwordless authentication lets users access systems without manually entering a password. In this article, we’ll explore what passwordless authentication is, examples of how it works, and how you can easily integrate it into your app. We will dive into the benefits of passwordless authentication, how it can benefit your systems, and what the future of passwordless holds.
Let’s get started! 🚀
Feel free to jump around the article based on what you are most interested in, or just read it all 🤓
- Common Problems With Password Based Authentication 🤔
- The Passwordless Solution: How It Works 🔑🚫
- 3 Transformative Benefits of Going Passwordless 🚀
- Choosing The Right Passwordless Method ⚙️
- Challenges of Implementing Passwordless Authentication 🚧
- Solving Passwordless Challenges with SuperTokens 💡
- The Future of Authentication: Why Passwordless is Here to Stay 🔮
- Conclusion: Solving Login Problems with Passwordless Authentication
Common Problems With Password Based Authentication 🤔
Here are the most common password based authentication problems:
Human error
People choose weak passwords and weak passwords are easy to hack, compromising an app’s security. People choose weak passwords because they are easy to come up with and remember. When choosing a new password people have one goal in mind, getting access to the app they are signing up for.
Password Reuse
People tend to reuse the same passwords for other apps they sign up for. Using the same password on multiple platforms significantly increases the chance of attack if one site is compromised.
Phishing attacks
Phishing attacks happen when users are tricked into revealing their passwords through deceptive emails or websites.
Credential stuffing
Credential stuffing happens when attackers use leaked passwords from other data breaches to attempt logins on various apps, knowing that people reuse passwords.
Brute-force attacks
Brute-force attacks happen when attackers try numerous password combinations until they find the correct one. Think trying to figure out your crush’s password hoping it’s your name. 🤭
To make password based authentication stronger, users are encouraged to use password managers and long passwords with a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols (aka gibberish).
While these measures help mitigate password problems, they don’t eliminate them entirely. This leads to the search for better solutions, like passwordless authentication.
The Passwordless Solution: How It Works 🔑🚫
Passwordless authentication is a method of authenticating a user without passwords. Nice! Who would have thought.
It works by replacing passwords with other means of authentication like magic links ✨, biometric authentications 🐾, one time passwords (OTP) 📱, or hardware tokens 💳 .
It’s worth noting the 3 key factors of authentication in general:
- Knowledge – This is something only the user knows, like passwords, security questions, or PINs.
- Possession – This is something the user has, like a mobile device, or a security key.
- Inherence – This is something the user is, like a fingerprint and facial recognition.
Passwordless authentication works by verifying a user’s identity through possession or inherence (or both), rather than knowledge.
Let’s break down the common passwordless auth methods:
Magic Links ✨
Magic links are URLs with embedded tokens that when clicked allow users to log in without a password. The magic links are typically delivered through a user’s email, but can also be sent through a text message. Magic links verify a user’s identity by using something the user has, like their email address or phone number. Platforms like Medium and Pinterest use magic links, eliminating the need for passwords. Simply click the link, and you’re in!
Biometrics 🐾
As the name suggests, biometric authentication uses a person’s physical traits. Popular biometric authentication methods include fingerprint scanning and facial recognition. Because biometric authentication is based on who a user is, they are much harder to steal than passwords, or other forms of knowledge based authentication. Apps like Apple Pay and Google Pay use facial recognition or fingerprints to authenticate users, allowing secure access without a password.
One-Time Passcodes📱
One-time passcodes are generated numbers or letters sent to a user either through email or text message allowing the user to log in without a password. The user receives the OTP and must then enter the OTP on the client side of the application they are trying to log onto. They are similar to magic links, except instead of a link a user receives a code they must enter to verify their identity. Services like Amazon send a one time passcode to a user’s email or phone. Entering the code gives them access to the app without a password.
Hardware Tokens 💳
Hardware tokens generate a one-time code that’s used to access a system. The token is usually a small device that looks like a credit card or a keychain fob. Hardware tokens are a secure and reliable way to verify a user’s identity. Think of having a hotel card tapping you into a room.
3 Transformative Benefits of Going Passwordless 🚀
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Improved Security – Passwordless auth is more secure than traditional, password based authentication. It removes the risks that come with passwords, like weak and reused passwords. Passwords are the weakest link in a security chain because they rely on users creating them and the majority of people typically don’t have cybersecurity in mind. So by going passwordless you eliminate the risks of brute-force attacks and credential stuffing.
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Lower Long-Term Costs – There are two main costs associated with password based authentication, the legal costs of security breaches and the administrative costs of password changes. Passwordless authentication can also be more scalable than traditional password-based authentication, because you don’t have to store and manage all the users’ credentials in a database.
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Better User Experience – Passwordless authentication can provide a much better user experience. That’s because it can make onboarding easier for users. By using a passwordless approach, you eliminate the friction of having a user think of a password, open up their password manager, save the password, and then log in. While these steps are not substantial and are easy to go through, removing them makes your app more likely to gain users. During the Covid pandemic a video game called Among Us became insanely popular. The barrier to entry was none! It’s what made it so easy to get into. Granted, Among Us did not need you to have an account, but it shows how removing barriers, or making them simpler, can skyrocket your application.
Choosing The Right Passwordless Method ⚙️
To choose the right passwordless method you have to consider your resources and your users. If you have a financial app, investing in a more secure system like multi-factor authentication is the right choice, even with passwordless authentication.
If you are creating something new and want more people to try the application, it’s worth considering how you can balance the ease of use with the amount of security.
If you have a mobile application, choosing something like an OTP can be a good choice because the users do not need to close the app to login. They will receive the code through SMS, and can autofill it into the login screen.
Regardless of what method you choose, SuperTokens is here to make your implementation easy to develop.
Challenges of Implementing Passwordless Authentication 🚧
Like with anything else, passwordless authentication is not all roses and sunshine. Going passwordless can be challenging if you already have a password based authentication system set up.
Here’s why:
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Integration with legacy systems – Upgrading your legacy systems to use passwordless authentication can be costly and time consuming.
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Balancing security and user convenience – Besides security, user convenience is key when adding any feature, including authentication.
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If the process is too complicated or frustrating, users might give up or avoid signing in altogether—I’ve experienced this myself. When sign-in requires too many steps, I’ve often decided the app wasn’t worth it.
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Some users may be hesitant to share personal details like biometrics or phone numbers. That’s why it’s crucial to understand your users’ preferences and strike a balance between security and ease of use.
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Device loss or email access issues – Relying on a user’s email address or device (for texts) can be a problem if they lose access to either. This is something to consider if your only form of authenticating a user depends on their email or phone number. To solve this you could offer a user an alternative method of signing in.
Solving Passwordless Challenges with SuperTokens 💡
We have written a guide to implementing passwordless login using SuperTokens. Check it out!
Here are some ways we solve passwordless challenges for you:
- Easy, out of the box, prebuilt UI for your login.
- Great documentation to lead you step by step through the process of setting up your passwordless login.
- Customization for any use case like magic links, OTPs, email or SMS delivery, and API overrides (if you need further customizations).
- A quickstart guide to get you going.
Check out our example app to play around with how easy it is to set up with your chosen framework!
The Future of Authentication: Why Passwordless is Here to Stay 🔮
Every year, we use more apps, which means creating more logins. With password-based authentication, users must create strong, unique passwords for each app, leading to password fatigue.
Passwordless authentication offers a simpler solution. Many companies are now removing passwords from sign-up pages, making it easier for users to try new apps quickly. This benefits both users and businesses by reducing friction in the sign-up process.
The future is leaning toward passwordless authentication. Trends like zero-trust frameworks, rising cyber threats, stricter regulations, demand for better user experiences, biometric technology, and remote work all support this shift.
Since 2011, the Fast Identity Online (FIDO) Alliance has led the charge in reducing reliance on passwords and promoting passwordless solutions.
Meanwhile, cyber threats are evolving. SlashNet’s 2024 Phishing Intelligence Report shows credential phishing attacks rose by 703% in just six months. With AI tools like ChatGPT, attackers can now craft professional-looking phishing emails, making these attacks harder to detect.
Conclusion: Solving Login Problems with Passwordless Authentication
Passwords have been the cornerstone of our digital security for decades, but they come with significant drawbacks. Some of those are weak security, poor user experience, and high operational costs. With the growing number of apps and logins, our accumulation of passwords also increases, which in turn increases the chances of password based authentication attacks like phishing and data breaches.
Passwordless authentication like magic links, biometric authentication, or one-time passcodes, offer a powerful alternative to traditional passwords. It removes the risks of weak and reused passwords and often simplifies the user experience.
As technology and cybersecurity attacks evolve, a passwordless future is inevitable.
Use SuperTokens to implement your passwordless login – we make it easy!