How Passwordless Authentication Improves User Experience

Imagine never having to remember long, complex passwords or going through the hassle of resetting them. This blog will delve into the world of passwordless security, and the future of secure authentication. We will explore the benefits of this approach, the best practices, and how it can revolutionize how we log in securely. Dive into this blog to examine the fast-changing world of passwordless security and the effortless user experience it promises.

What Is Passwordless Authentication?

Passwordless authentication is a modern and innovative approach to secure user verification that eliminates the need for traditional passwords. By leveraging alternative methods to verify a user’s identity, such as biometrics, security keys, magic links, and one-time passwords (OTPs), passwordless authentication offers a more secure and user-friendly login experience. These methods significantly reduce the risk of breaches while enhancing user convenience.

Traditional Passwordless Authentication Methods

At Annoybit, we believe that true passwordless is rooted in biometric authentication since other methods can be breached with malware, SIM swapping, and phishing attacks. Traditional passwordless methods like magic links, one-time passwords (OTPs), and security keys, while more secure than passwords, still present vulnerabilities.

For instance, magic links can be intercepted if an email account is compromised, and OTPs are susceptible to SIM swapping and malware attacks. Security keys, although robust, can be lost or stolen. These methods, while stepping in the right direction, don’t entirely eliminate the risks associated with digital authentication.

Related Reading

• How Does Passwordless Authentication Work
• Fast Identity Online
• What Is Passwordless Authentication

Benefits Of Passwordless Authentication

Implementing a passwordless solution can be a key differentiator in how users perceive your business. In the new digital norm, fast and simple access to online services and applications is critical to business success, client retention, and productivity.

Passwordless solutions have many benefits, including enhanced security (by reducing the risk of attacks caused by compromised credentials and personal data) and eliminating the need for users to remember and manage multiple login credentials.

Biometric Authentication Over Traditional Methods

One of the most popular and secure forms of passwordless authentication is biometric authentication, which uses unique physical characteristics, such as fingerprints or facial features, to verify a user’s identity. According to a recent study, over half of the users surveyed who use biometric authentication methods prefer them over any other method.

Biometric authentication offers several advantages over other forms of authentication, including increased security and convenience. Biometric data is also unique to each individual and cannot be easily replicated or stolen.

Passwordless Authentication And User Experience

For every second your users spend logging in, your drop-off rate increases by 7%. Since logging in with a password takes an average of 13 seconds, you will lose many users. 30% of login attempts on a mobile phone fail due to password complexity and screen size.

Biometric Passwordless speeds up the sign-in process by 92%. It prevents your users from having to puzzle over their at least eight-character-long password with a capital letter and a special character. It also saves users the trouble of entering that password on their mobile phones. Logging in with a finger scan instead of a password limits the number of interactions to a strict minimum. 

Enhancing Security with Passwordless Authentication

Embracing passwordless authentication is one way to improve your organization’s security posture significantly. After all, 80% of data breaches come from poor password security, and two in five people have had their identities hacked or sensitive information breached because of exploitable duplicate and outdated passwords.

Losing passwords from the equation can also have a positive effect on user experience, such as:

• Frictionless sign-in to applications
• Dynamic Authentication using high-assurance factors 
• There is no need for password resets

Passwordless authentication doesn’t just make the lives of your security and IT teams easier, it can also help you build valuable and seamless digital experiences for your employees and customers.

Preventing Fraud with Decentralized Biometrics Solutions

At Anonybit, our decentralized biometrics system design helps companies prevent data breaches and account takeover fraud. With a decentralized biometrics solution, companies can enable passwordless login, wire verification, step-up authentication, and help desk authentication. We are on a mission to protect companies from data breaches, account takeovers, and synthetic identity fraud.

To achieve this goal, we offer security solutions such as:

• Secure storage of biometrics and PII data
• Support for the entire user lifecycle
• 1:1 biometric authentication and 1:N biometric matching to prevent duplicates, synthetics, and blocklisted identities 

Anonybit eliminates the tradeoffs between privacy and security. Prevent data breaches, enable strong authentication to eliminate account takeovers, and enhance the user experience across the enterprise using Anonybit.

Book a free demo today to learn more about our integrated identity management platform.

Related Reading

• Enterprise Authentication
• Passwordless Authentication Methods
• U2F Vs FIDO2
• Azure Ad Passwordless
• Passwordless Technology
• FIDO Standard Security Key
• Is Passwordless Authentication Safe
• FIDO2 Passwordless Authentication
• Implementing Passwordless Authentication
• Passwordless Authentication Examples
• Passwordless Multi Factor Authentication
• Benefits of Passwordless Authentication
• Passwordless SSO
• Passwordless vs MFA
• How To Implement Passwordless Authentication
• Common Authentication Vulnerabilities
• Passwordless Authentication Benefits

How Does Passwordless Authentication Improve User Experience

1. Less Time and Money Spent on Password Resets

Password management can be a significant issue for many companies. It’s one of the top reasons why people call centers. The average time per week spent entering or resetting passwords is 12.6 minutes/week. This amounts to an average annual productivity cost and labor loss of $5,217,456 per company. Reducing the support burden imposed by passwords is mission-critical for organizations. The solution is passwordless authentication. 

2. Passwordless Authentication Makes Users Feel Secure

Passwordless authentication improves UX by making users feel safer when they sign in to their applications. More than 50% of users surveyed by the Ponemon Institute said they’d like to protect their accounts with a method that doesn’t use passwords. Although passwords have been in use for decades, an increasing number of people recognize the inherent security risks associated with them, and would instead authenticate by different means.

3. Eliminating MFA’s UX Issues 

Most MFA works by using a password as one factor and then sending a one-time passcode to a secondary device that the recipient must enter as the second factor. While most solutions send these codes to a mobile device, some send the codes to an email address. But what happens if the user’s push notifications aren’t working correctly or never receive the text? Or what if the user has lost their phone?

The process breaks down, and the user has no way in. Even if the user has their second device on hand, it’s a frustrating disruption while working and results in lost productivity. Passwordless MFA eliminates the need for a second device since all the security checks are done behind the scenes. There’s no code to enter and no disruption to workflow; it’s just a simple biometric scan. It’s a seamless and frictionless authentication experience resulting in a better user experience.

4. Speed up Logins with Passwordless Authentication

Passwordless authentication significantly speeds up the sign-in process. Instead of puzzling over their tough-to-crack, twenty-character password each time they log in, your users can get nearly instant access to applications with just a couple of clicks.

Although it only takes a minute or two for users to log in with their passwords, repeating that multiple times every day really adds up. Passwords are a source of friction for employees and customers alike, and being able to access apps without delay can improve the efficiency of your teams and conversions on your digital platforms.

3 Best Practices For Enhancing the Passwordless Authentication Experience

1. Unified Authentication Experience

I recommend organizations find a passwordless authentication platform that provides a unified, seamless authentication experience. Looking for a platform that unifies passwordless authentication across devices, applications, and operating systems is essential.

For example, employees should be able to use their smartphone’s biometric sensor to unlock their work laptop and email application, even if the devices and software come from different companies. This ensures a consistent and effortless user authentication process, improving the experience.

2. Mobile-First Solutions

I suggest looking for passwordless authentication solutions that are mobile-first. Smartphones have become essential in people’s lives, making them a convenient and reliable tool for authentication.

Because smartphones are ingrained in personal lives, users expect them to play a significant role in professional settings, especially in providing a better authentication experience at work. By leveraging smartphones for passwordless authentication, organizations can simultaneously enhance user experience and security.

3. Biometric Data Storage

When implementing passwordless authentication, it is crucial to consider how biometric data is stored. Utilizing a decentralized cloud infrastructure can offer high levels of authentication assurance regardless of the device used to store biometric data, thereby minimizing the risk of data breaches. This approach aligns with the privacy principles of FIDO, where users have control over their biometric data, and the data is not accessible across multiple parties.

This innovative technology, developed by Anonybit, employs multi-party computing and zero-knowledge proofs to anonymize biometric data. By breaking down the data into pieces called Anonybits, each piece is secured individually over a decentralized network and can be matched in a decentralized manner, ensuring security both at rest and in process. This advanced method contributes to a robust and secure passwordless authentication system.

Related Reading

• Zero Trust Passwordless
• Passwordless Authentication Best Practices
• Passwordless Customer Authentication
• Passwordless Authentication Solutions
• Passwordless Authentication Companies
• Best Passwordless Authentication

Book A Free Demo To Learn More About Our Integrated Identity Management Platform

A passwordless approach to authentication is the future of secure access. Passwordless security uses biometrics, smartphones, and other safe methods for validating users. Users can enjoy a simplified authentication experience that prioritizes the best security practices.

This means they can rely on their devices to verify their identity without remembering complex passwords. Anonybit understands how important verifying your users and protecting their data is. Let’s consider how to use Anonybit’s secure and private biometrics to achieve your security goals.