An average of 579 passwords are hacked every second, resulting in some 18 billion cyber attacks every year, computer experts say. Now, Microsoft has come up with a sure-fire method to prevent password hacking: doing away with them all together.
That's the word from Microsoft officials, who have unveiled plans to offer a "passwordless account" option to users of the company's subscription-based software. "You can now completely remove the password from your Microsoft account," says Vasu Jakkal, the company's corporate vice president of security.
Instead of typing in a password, users will be able to log in with an authenticator app or with Windows Hello, which uses facial recognition, a fingerprint or a pin, Jakkal says.