On a big-picture level, insecure passwords cause an estimated 80 percent of breaches, according to a 2017 report from Verizon. Microsoft’s latest move follows pushes from Apple, Google and others to shake up the old passcode and password system with fingerprint scans, face scans or temporary codes. Technology companies are doggedly pushing into more areas of our lives by giving “smarts” to any item that can accommodate a chip — from your toilet to your car to your bed. In the pursuit of safety, companies often require passwords to have a complex combination of capital letters, symbols and other requirements. Alternatives such as fingerprint scans, retinal scans, voice recognition and other technologies can be hard for companies — particularly non-tech companies — to implement well.

Source: Washington Post February 09, 2018 21:01 UTC