Time to go passwordless for logins

Passwords and PINs are the standard methods for gaining access to personal computers, websites, and web applications. However, they are not as safe as we assume, especially in this age of automated hacking. People always prefer simple passwords that are easy to remember, which also makes them easier for others to guess. Hard passwords, on the other hand, are tough to remember, thus we frequently store them someplace in our system itself and make them vulnerable.

The impact of password hacking will become the worst when we use the same password for multiple websites and services. Though we frequently use the same or similar passwords for convenience. That means a single password breach might access numerous doors in the digital world.

Suppose you are using the same password for an entertainment app and banking app on your phone. Anyone who has hacked the password to your vulnerable entertainment app can easily gain access to your banking service app as well. The impact of this would be catastrophic.

This is where biometric authentication comes in. Rather than relying on what a person knows (passwords or PINs), biometric authentication precisely identifies who he is by scanning a person’s physical or behavioral features. Biometric characteristics are unique to each individual and therefore, tough to hack. To verify yourself, you do not need to carry or remember anything. Your fingerprint, face, or iris will become your key to opening a web application.

In light of this, Microsoft, Google, and other web applications are pushing biometric authentication to log in to their accounts and services.

Switching to biometric login

Microsoft began the transition to biometrics with Windows 7 but kept the conventional password. With the introduction of Windows Hello, users can replace the password lock with a biometric lock (fingerprint, face recognition, and iris scanner). Despite the fact that many laptops and desktops still lack biometric scanners to enable Windows Hello. Microsoft intends to eliminate password authentication within a few years. Or at least, passwords will stay, but only for multi-factor authentication.

Windows Hello biometric authentication is likely to be utilized as a login mechanism for Microsoft applications such as Azure, One Drive, Outlook mail, etc. Google has also integrated biometric authentication into its online apps such as Drive, Play Store, and Gmail.

Not only that, Google and Microsoft, all big players in web applications and office suites, are shifting towards biometric logins. This can change the way of attendance marking and tracking productivity at work. Employees need not wait in the queue to mark attendance anymore, the biologin system can automatically register attendance while employees log in on their system. This will also help to monitor employees working remotely to mark their attendance.

How to switch to biometric login?

Despite the fact that biometric login is available in Windows 7, not all laptops or desktops have hardware support for it. Though some premium laptops and mid-range office laptops facilitate fingerprint sensors and face recognition cameras, others do not.

To enable biometric login on your Windows laptop, follow these steps:

Open settings > Sign-in options > Choose the sign-in options (Windows Hello Face, fingerprints, etc)

If your system doesn’t have the supporting hardware for biometric authenticity, it will be displayed on the sign-in options.

So, the next question would be, do we have a chance even if our laptop doesn’t have the proper hardware support?

How to enable Windows Hello sign-in on any laptop or desktop?

As I said in the above sections, not all systems have biometric hardware support. Still, we use basic desktops and laptops in offices and personal use as well.

We can connect separate biologin devices to such devices. Window Hello can access biometric templates from a biologin device, once it is connected with the system. Though biologin devices are available in different modalities, namely fingerprints and face recognition, the fingerprint sensor would be more convenient for now since many web applications now prefer fingerprint authentication.

Is it secure to use Biologin devices

One profound question you will ask yourselves before choosing a biometric login device. Biometric data will never be transferred out of a biologin device that adheres to the FIDO (Fast Identity Online) and World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) standards. During the registration process, such devices generate a template and compare the sample to the template each time the user attempts to log in.

Closing note

Connecting single biologin devices can alleviate the bother of memorizing too many passwords or the security problem of using the same password across several platforms. So, why should you wait for companies to integrate biometric devices into all systems? You can buy biologin devices now at Mantratec. Or contact at 079–49068001