The End of an Era: Passwords

​By: N. De Lima

https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/set-up-use-face-id-iphone 

​Passwords have been used as a security tool in technology for many years and have been crucial in our digital lives. Passwords do give the user a sense of security, however, big companies have already, or are jet starting, the process of eradicating passwords. The problem with passwords is that they are insecure and untrustworthy, as they can be stolen or hacked. The true problem, nevertheless, lies in people using extremely bad passwords which they reuse and can be easily guessed. 
Passwords have been the first line of security for a couple of years; however, they have not been foolproof, leading to businesses’ sensitive information being leaked. When having to assign a password to an account, people often store a register of their passwords in a document or even a piece of paper. Is this truly the safest way to store passwords? The chief of security and advisory information at Thycotic, Joseph Carson, stated that? “If you continue to reuse old passwords it is like leaving your front door open and inviting cyber criminals into your home”. 
According to "Nordpass" the most common password of 2020 was "123456" which was used over 100,000 times. This has ultimately led to the initiation of password-less authentication. Face ID and Touch ID have been introduced. But what makes these two processes of authentication more secure and safe? Biometric identification is more accessible than face ID, however, companies would have to keep copies of client information internally to be able to verify each user. This could make clients even greater targets for hackers because passwords can be changed, fingerprints cannot. 
In conclusion, it is important to keep changing passwords to ensure maximum security. Companies have begun a process to make their systems even more secure. It is a fact, nonetheless, that passwords will always be parts of our digital lives. 
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