1Password, Microsoft move to biometric authentication

1Password and Microsoft are among vendors moving to passwordless login, switching to phishing-resistant biometric passkeys.

In a blog post, 1Password announced a private beta test for passkey account access on iOS and iPadOS.

Subscribers can already create passkeys to sign into accounts with the public beta of 1Password password manager in the browser. Private beta testers can use the fingerprint or face readers in Apple portable devices to unlock their 1Password accounts and eventually use the same biometric passkey to unlock 1Password accounts other devices.

Temporary test accounts can be created to try the feature without using an existing account.

The company plans to establish passkey authentication for Android, Windows and Linux as well. It also plans to provide customers the ability to use a passkey in addition to a password and secret key. 1Password says it also will implement recovery codes and give customers the option to secure a 1Password account with multiple passkeys tied to different devices.

Windows 11 build 23506 brings new passwordless experience

Meanwhile, Microsoft’s enterprise customers can now try passwordless login with Hello for Business through the newest Windows build, according to BetaNews.

Hello for Business users can set their passwordless policy to authenticate on Azure Active Directory-joined machines without a password. Once set, the policy removes passwords from device logon.

The policy also removes passwords for in-session authorization scenarios like password managers, “Run as” admin, and user account control, Microsoft says in an announcement. Users can use recovery mechanisms like PIN reset or web sign-in if they have problems at primary sign-in.

Article Topics

1Password  |  biometric authentication  |  biometrics  |  Microsoft  |  passkeys  |  passwordless authentication