{"id":58598,"date":"2025-05-01T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-01T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/pushing-passkeys-forward-microsofts-latest-updates-for-simpler-safer-sign-ins\/"},"modified":"2025-05-01T16:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-05-01T16:00:00","slug":"pushing-passkeys-forward-microsofts-latest-updates-for-simpler-safer-sign-ins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/pushing-passkeys-forward-microsofts-latest-updates-for-simpler-safer-sign-ins\/","title":{"rendered":"Pushing passkeys forward: Microsoft\u2019s latest updates for simpler, safer sign-ins"},"content":{"rendered":"

Happy World Passkey Day! <\/p>\n

As the world shifts from passwords to passkeys, we\u2019re excited to join the FIDO Alliance in leaving \u201cWorld Password Day\u201d behind to celebrate the very first \u201cWorld Passkey Day.\u201d To commemorate this renaming, Microsoft and dozens of other organizations have taken the Passkey Pledge<\/a> to work toward increasing the implementation and adoption of passkeys over the coming year. For Microsoft, taking the pledge continues our commitment to a future where every sign in is simple and secure.<\/p>\n

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The journey toward passwordless sign-in<\/h2>\n

Ten years ago, Microsoft had a bold idea. Instead of signing in using clumsy and insecure passwords, what if you could simply smile? <\/p>\n

With this vision in mind, Microsoft introduced Windows Hello<\/a>, a new way for users to securely sign in to their accounts with their face, fingerprint, or PIN. Windows Hello helped lay the foundation for an entirely new era of authentication.1<\/sup> Today, more than 99% of people who sign into their Windows devices with their Microsoft account do so using Windows Hello.<\/p>\n

However, as the world and our digital lives evolved, it became clear that just signing into your device<\/em> without a password isn\u2019t enough. To keep your digital life safe, you need a way to sign into any<\/em> account without a password. As part of an industry-wide effort, Microsoft has collaborated closely with the FIDO Alliance, and with platform partners to develop passkeys: a standards-based phishing-resistant authentication method that replaces passwords. Now you can sign in to any supported app or website with a passkey using your face, fingerprint, or PIN. Hundreds of websites, representing billions of accounts, now support signing in with a passkey. The world is changing! <\/p>\n

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For a list of websites that support passkeys, visit Passkey Directory \u2013 FIDO Alliance<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Over the past decade, we\u2019ve observed two important, coinciding trends: people have grown increasingly accustomed to signing into their devices without passwords, and the number of password-based cyberattacks has increased dramatically. Bad actors know that the password age is ending, and that the number of easily compromised accounts is shrinking. In response, these bad actors are devoting considerable resources to automating brute force and phishing attacks against any account still protected by a password. Last year, we observed a staggering 7,000 password attacks per second (more than double the rate from 2023).2<\/sup> As passkeys become the new standard, expect increased pressure from cyberattackers on any accounts still protected by passwords or other phishable sign-in methods.<\/p>\n

Our users love signing into their Microsoft accounts with passkeys<\/h2>\n

Last year, we introduced passkey support for Microsoft accounts for our consumer apps and services like Xbox and Copilot, and now we see nearly a million passkeys registered every day. Because they\u2019re not entering complex characters or one-time codes, users signing in with passkeys are three times more successful at getting into their account than password users (about 98% versus 32%). When you use a passkey, you get into your account much quicker too! Passkey sign-ins are eight times faster than a password and multifactor authentication.<\/p>\n

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