Microsoft is expanding its passwordless sign-in feature from Azure Active Directory (AAD) corporate clients to consumer Microsoft accounts on Windows 10 and 11 computers.
Microsoft’s Authenticator app lets consumers easily log in to their Microsoft accounts without a password. Setting up this app is relatively easy, said Vasu Jakkal, Microsoft corporate vice president of the Microsoft Security, Compliance, Identity and Management division.
Many people pick bad passwords because they are easy to remember, but they are also subject to attacks from hackers. The rise of multi-factor authentication (MFA) (also known as two-factor authentication, or 2FA) is causing many to question the usefulness of passwords.
But even for a company like Microsoft, which has more than a billion PCs in use today, solving the password problem requires the entire industry’s support. Microsoft accounts and Windows PCs for Microsoft apps such as Office, OneDrive, and Outlook are essential components of the solution, but they aren’t the entire picture.
According to Jakkal, an official from Microsoft, the company is progressing towards a passwordless environment. He revealed that Microsoft already has 200 million customers who are already passwordless. They use Windows Hello and biometrics.
This functionality is currently only accessible for Microsoft accounts, but it can be used with other third-party apps. While it’s not common for people to use Microsoft accounts to sign in to third-party apps, most of them are most likely using Office apps.
Now, the Microsoft Authenticator app for Android and iOS now allows consumers to sign in without a password to Office apps like Teams, PowerPoint, Excel, Word or SharePoint.
