--- title: Are passwords over? - The Hustle description: Apple, Google, and Microsoft agreed to roll out passwordless logins. Here’s what that means. image: https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1379329550-HS-News-Brief_2022-05-08T230418.236Z.webp --- # Are passwords over? ![Juliet Bennett Rylah](https://53.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/53/assets/hubspot.com/web-team/WBZ/HubSpot%20Media/Blog%202021/Images/Nav/Optimized/TheHustle_Icon_Dark.svg) [Juliet Bennett Rylah](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/juliet-bennett-rylah) [Juliet Bennett Rylah Twitter profile ](https://twitter.com/JBRylah) Published: May 09, 2022 Updated: October 11, 2023 Passwords suck. They’re the root cause of [81%](https://cloudnine.com/ediscoverydaily/electronic-discovery/80-percent-hacking-related-breaches-related-password-issues-cybersecurity-trends/#:~:text=81%25%20of%20hacking%2Drelated%20breaches,conducted%20by%20state%2Daffiliated%20actors.) of data breaches, but due to the dizzying number of online accounts people have, [65%](https://www.comparitech.com/blog/information-security/password-statistics/#:~:text=Only%2035%20percent%20use%20a%20different%20password%20for%20every%20account.&text=This%20is%20corroborated%20by%20other,passwords%20for%20their%20personal%20accounts.) of us still reuse them. ![Are passwords over?](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1379329550-HS-News-Brief_2022-05-08T230418.236Z.webp?width=595&height=400&name=1379329550-HS-News-Brief_2022-05-08T230418.236Z.webp) But guess what? Apple, Google, and Microsoft will roll out no-password login options over the coming year, [per ](https://fidoalliance.org/apple-google-and-microsoft-commit-to-expanded-support-for-fido-standard-to-accelerate-availability-of-passwordless-sign-ins/)the Fast Identity Online (FIDO) Alliance, which sets standards for passwordless authentication. Instead of using a password, you’ll sign in with your smartphone or other devices — similar to 2-factor authentication. But this method is called “public key cryptography.” #### **How it works** Let’s say you decide to create an account with your favorite online retailer, CuteKittySocks.com. When you register, a [key pair](https://fidoalliance.org/how-fido-works/) is made: a public key shared with CuteKittySocks.com, and a private key that stays on your phone. Keys are just big-ass connected numbers. For [example](https://www.csoonline.com/article/3604680/fido-explained-how-this-industry-initiative-aims-to-make-passwords-obsolete.html), a private key could be 2 long prime numbers, and a public key would be what you’d get if you multiplied them. But you won’t see these digits. You log in the same way you unlock your phone (e.g., entering a PIN or scanning your fingerprint). Your phone verifies with CuteKittySocks.com that you have the right key and, meow, you’re in! #### **Okay, but what if…** … someone steals your phone? They’d still need to complete the challenge, meaning they’d need to know your PIN or have possession of your finger. Meanwhile, your keys are [backed up](https://blog.google/technology/safety-security/one-step-closer-to-a-passwordless-future/) on the cloud, so you can store them on multiple devices in the event one is lost or damaged, or transfer them to new ones. Other benefits: - FIDO protects against phishing attempts, [per](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2022/05/apple-google-and-microsoft-commit-to-expanded-support-for-fido-standard/) Apple. - You won’t even have to use a password during initial sign-up, [per](https://www.theverge.com/2022/5/5/23057646/apple-google-microsoft-passwordless-sign-in-fido) *The Verge.* However, there are still hurdles. Not everyone has a smartphone or device new enough to adopt passwordless logins. And one survey [found](https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/concerns-passwordless-bother/) that while 85% of respondents wanted to use fewer passwords, 72% believed others would stick with passwords because it’s familiar. **Fun fact:** A recent survey by digital safety platform Aura [found](https://mashable.com/article/survey-aura-one-third-pets-names-password) 39% of US pet owners have used their pet’s name in a password — 48% of whom have also posted their pet’s name online. Topics: [Emerging Tech](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/tag/emerging-tech) ## Follow us on social media prev next - ![Music you can really feel — no, really](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/644993849-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-music-headphones_20230821235106.webp) ### Music you can really feel — no, really - ![Don’t pretend you aren’t interested in the world’s largest passenger elevator](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1502228928-httpsthe-hustle.hubspot.comhubfsDaily20Newsletter20ImagesApril2011202023elevator.webp) ### Don’t pretend you aren’t interested in the world’s largest passenger elevator - ![Is it possible to get younger?](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/70915391-HS-News-Brief_2023-01-25T233104.264Z.webp) ### Is it possible to get younger? - ![What happened at CES this year?](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1001964695-HS-News-Brief_2023-01-09T015305.679Z-scaled.webp) ### What happened at CES this year? - ![CES starts today. Here’s what to expect](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/428990488-HS-News-Brief_2023-01-05T011321.826Z.webp) ### CES starts today. Here’s what to expect - ![ChatGPT isn’t always right, but it’s fun](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/681555469-GettyImages-1328784596-scaled.webp) ### ChatGPT isn’t always right, but it’s fun - ![Tesla’s robot, explained](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1474361377-HS-News-Brief_2022-10-03T023102.852Z.webp) ### Tesla’s robot, explained - ![Why Big Tech wants to be in your car so badly](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/518482098-HS-News-Brief_2022-06-15T225657.217Z.webp) ### Why Big Tech wants to be in your car so badly - ![Digits: Taser drones, Domino’s woes, and charging cables](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1108010318-HS-News-Brief_2022-06-12T230102.103Z-1024x675.webp) ### Digits: Taser drones, Domino’s woes, and charging cables - ![Text-to-image AI generators, explained](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1572992978-HS-News-Brief_2022-05-25T003630.338Z.webp) ### Text-to-image AI generators, explained Pop up for Subscribe to The Hustle Daily Newsletter Subscribe to The Hustle Daily Newsletter Get the 5-minute news brief keeping 2.5M+ innovators in the loop. Always free. 100% fresh. No bullsh*t. JOIN FREE ### 100% Free CRM Nurture and grow your business with customer relationship management software. Signup for a free account Close modal ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Juliet Bennett Rylah", "url" : "https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news/author/juliet-bennett-rylah" }, "datePublished" : "2022-05-09T06:06:22.000Z", "headline" : "Are passwords over?", "image" : [ "https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1379329550-HS-News-Brief_2022-05-08T230418.236Z.webp" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news/05092022-passwordless-logins", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject" } } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "#article", "@type" : "NewsArticle", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Juliet Bennett Rylah", "url" : "https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/juliet-bennett-rylah" }, "dateModified" : "2023-10-11T20:05:56+0000", "datePublished" : "2022-05-09T06:06:22+0000", "headline" : "Are passwords over?", "image" : [ "https://7355427.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/7355427/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1379329550-HS-News-Brief_2022-05-08T230418.236Z.webp" ], "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "height" : 112, "url" : "https://fs.hubspotusercontent00.net/hubfs/53/assets/hubspot.com/web-team/WBZ/Blog%202021/Images/Logos/HubSpot%20Logo%20112X112.svg", "width" : 112 }, "name" : "HubSpot", "sameAs" : [ "https://www.facebook.com/hubspot", "https://twitter.com/hubspot" ], "url" : "https://www.hubspot.com" }, "speakable" : { "@type" : "SpeakableSpecification", "xPath" : [ "//title", "/html/head/meta[@name='description']/@content" ] } } ```