{"id":2064,"date":"2025-08-02T19:52:29","date_gmt":"2025-08-02T19:52:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ft365.org\/index.php\/2025\/08\/02\/passwordless-future-years-away-despite-microsoft-authenticator-move\/"},"modified":"2025-08-02T19:52:29","modified_gmt":"2025-08-02T19:52:29","slug":"passwordless-future-years-away-despite-microsoft-authenticator-move","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ft365.org\/index.php\/2025\/08\/02\/passwordless-future-years-away-despite-microsoft-authenticator-move\/","title":{"rendered":"Passwordless Future Years Away Despite Microsoft Authenticator Move"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Password managers will remain a valuable bulwark against identity-related threats for some time to come, despite Microsoft\u2019s decision to switch off the capabilities in its Authenticator app from tomorrow, security experts have argued.<\/p>\n

The tech giant has been winding down Microsoft Authenticator\u2019s ability to store and autofill passwords\u00a0for some time. From the start of June, users were no longer able to add or import new passwords. The following month, autofill was switched off. From August 1 saved passwords will no longer be accessible via the app.<\/p>\n

After this time, stored passwords can be accessed and auto filled via the Edge browser, or users can export them to an alternative password manager. However, what Microsoft really wants\u00a0is for users to transition to passkeys, which are still supported by Authenticator.<\/p>\n

Passkeys are widely regarded as a more secure and easy to use (via PIN or biometrics) authentication mechanism, which requires no passwords at all.<\/p>\n

Read more on passkeys:\u00a0Passkeys Set to Protect GOV.UK Accounts Against Cyber-Attacks<\/em><\/p>\n

However, security experts have argued that a passwordless future is still years away, meaning password managers will continue to play an important role in enterprise security for some time to come.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe impending elimination of password support by Microsoft would suggest that the industry is rapidly moving towards a future where passwordless authentication is the norm. However, the data tells us another story,\u201d argued Keeper Security CEO, Darren Guccione.<\/p>\n

\u201cRather than heralding a drastic sea-change, Microsoft\u2019s decision arrives amid a more gradual transformation, one that is still very much in progress. Solutions that can generate and secure traditional passwords remain critical for individuals and organizations alike \u2013 even as passwordless authentication becomes more widely adopted across digital systems.\u201d<\/p>\n

Guccione cited Keeper Security figures claiming that 40% of organizations operate a hybrid authentication environment, combining both passwords and passkeys.<\/p>\n

The Transition Will Take Time<\/h2>\n

His thoughts were echoed by IEEE senior member\u00a0and University of Nottingham cybersecurity professor, Steve Furnell.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile we are seeing a shift towards a passwordless future, this transition will take some time. Many organizations have only recently moved to multi-factor authentication (MFA) and so will have less desire or incentive to develop other technologies like passkeys, even if doing so could improve user experience,\u201d he argued.<\/p>\n

\u201cMeanwhile, others may be stuck with traditional passwords, for example, if they are simply not in a position to update their in-house, bespoke or legacy systems.\u201d<\/p>\n

Furnell added that organizations that continue to rely on passwords must ensure they have two fundamentals in place.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirstly, provide clear guidance and support so users understand how to create and manage passwords effectively. Most people do better when they know what\u2019s expected and why it matters,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n

\u201cSecond, it\u2019s important to implement safeguards that enforce good practice by default, reducing the risk regardless of individual behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Image\u00a0credit: Primakov \/ Shutterstock.com<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Password managers will remain a valuable bulwark against identity-related threats for some time to come, despite Microsoft\u2019s decision to switch off the capabilities in its Authenticator app from tomorrow, security experts have argued. The tech giant has been winding down Microsoft Authenticator\u2019s ability to store and autofill passwords\u00a0for some time. From the start of June<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2065,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2064","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/ft365.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2064-4b6b4d03-bd18-4c14-a005-26b1e46ff9b0.jpg",300,300,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/ft365.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2064-4b6b4d03-bd18-4c14-a005-26b1e46ff9b0-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/ft365.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2064-4b6b4d03-bd18-4c14-a005-26b1e46ff9b0.jpg",300,300,false],"medium_large":["https:\/\/ft365.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2064-4b6b4d03-bd18-4c14-a005-26b1e46ff9b0.jpg",300,300,false],"large":["https:\/\/ft365.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2064-4b6b4d03-bd18-4c14-a005-26b1e46ff9b0.jpg",300,300,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/ft365.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2064-4b6b4d03-bd18-4c14-a005-26b1e46ff9b0.jpg",300,300,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/ft365.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2064-4b6b4d03-bd18-4c14-a005-26b1e46ff9b0.jpg",300,300,false],"morenews-featured":["https:\/\/ft365.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2064-4b6b4d03-bd18-4c14-a005-26b1e46ff9b0.jpg",300,300,false],"morenews-large":["https:\/\/ft365.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2064-4b6b4d03-bd18-4c14-a005-26b1e46ff9b0.jpg",300,300,false],"morenews-medium":["https:\/\/ft365.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2064-4b6b4d03-bd18-4c14-a005-26b1e46ff9b0.jpg",300,300,false],"crawlomatic_preview_image":["https:\/\/ft365.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2064-4b6b4d03-bd18-4c14-a005-26b1e46ff9b0-146x146.jpg",146,146,true]},"author_info":{"display_name":"henry","author_link":"https:\/\/ft365.org\/index.php\/author\/henry\/"},"category_info":"Uncategorized<\/a>","tag_info":"Uncategorized","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ft365.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2064","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ft365.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ft365.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ft365.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ft365.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2064"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ft365.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2064\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ft365.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2065"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ft365.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ft365.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ft365.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}