Microsoft rolls out passkeys as password attacks hit 4,000 per second | Windows

Software giant, Microsoft, has rolled out passkeys for all consumer accounts, enabling users to drop passwords to access the company’s accounts.

The company noted that the passkey rollout became expedient as password attacks surged to 4,000 per second. It noted that the rate of attacks on accounts with passwords is rising because the hackers are succeeding.

According to the company’s website announcement on Saturday, users of Microsoft services can now create a passkey on their devices and use their face, fingerprint, PIN, or security key to identify themselves. The introduction of passkeys marks the company’s next milestone in passwordless authentication.

Safe access

Announcing the passkeys rollout as a means of ensuring safe access for everyone, Microsoft said:

• “Today, we’re announcing passkey support for Microsoft consumer accounts, the next step toward our vision of simple, safe access for everyone.
• “In 2015, when we introduced Windows Hello and Windows Hello for Business as secure ways to access Windows 10 without entering a password, our identity systems were detecting around 115 password attacks per second.
• “Less than a decade later, that number has surged 3,378%…