The Rise of Passwordless Authentication: Pros, Support, and Solutions

A survey conducted among attendees of Black Hat USA 2023 reveals that 54% consider passwordless authentication a viable concept, while 79% believe that passwords are evolving or becoming obsolete. The majority of respondents use additional authentication methods such as multi-factor authentication (73%), authenticator apps (57%), and biometrics (40%) to protect their passwords. Furthermore, 52% use a password manager, 34% use a privileged access management (PAM) solution, and 21% are already using passkeys. The survey highlights the importance of moving beyond passwords, as 75% of respondents acknowledge that social engineering and stolen identities/passwords are the fastest ways to access a network. Only 12% believe that organizations are ahead of nation-states and cybercriminals in terms of cybersecurity, and opinions on the threat of artificial intelligence (AI) programs vary.