What is Passwordless Authentication | SMS Login and Email Security

Passwordless Authentication is a verification factor that authenticates user identity without enforcing the user to enter a string of characters which we term as a Password. Rather than conventional authentication with a username and password, Passwordless Authentication methods operate on a direct One Time Passcode (OTP) over your Mobile SMS or Email ID. Passwordless authentication allows users to log in without the need of remembering a password. Users enter their mobile phone number or email address and receive a one-time code (one-time password) or link on their phone number or their email address, which they will use to log in and obtain secure access to their applications or Websites.

Passwordless Authentication is usually utilized in concurrence with Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and Single Sign-On (SSO) solutions to enhance the user experience, strengthen security, and reduce IT operations expense and complexity. Passwordless login is one of the trendy aspects in Identity and access management (IAM) which organizations are noting for organizational security. Passwordless solutions are different from Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) therein just one authentication factor is required to authenticate a user, like a one-time code.

Why Passwordless Authentication Matters?

Today’s digital world relies on a wide variety of applications/ websites to perform their daily work services. Traditional authentication demands, something the user knows (such as a security password, passphrase, or PIN code) which is vulnerable to easy theft and requires constant management and handling by users also as web servers. To manage this, users got to memorize a password and also change it on a timely basis to take care of security. Overwhelmed by passwords management, many users take risky shortcuts like using an equivalent password for all applications, repeating passwords, using weak passwords, or posting passwords on sticky notes.

With these practices, unauthorized users take advantage of insecure password management activities and target Cyberattacks to steal confidential data which weakens the safety of all those websites/ applications. Simple authentication methods that need the only username and password combinations are inherently vulnerable resulting in data breaches. Attackers can guess or steal credentials and gain access to sensitive information and IT systems employing a sort of techniques, including:

Password Spraying

Password spraying attack attempts to access a large number of accounts (usernames) with a couple of commonly used passwords. In password spraying, an attacker tries combinations of usernames and passwords from the list of commonly used passwords.

Brute Force Attack

A brute force attack is a sort of attack in which a combination of username and password is guessed by trial and error. It consists of repeated login attempts made with different combinations each time. Guessing a short password can be relatively simple, but that isn’t necessarily the case for longer passwords or encryption keys, the difficulty of brute force attacks grows rapidly longer the password or keys.

Credentials Stuffing

Credentials stuffing is a type of attack during which stolen credentials are used which consists of an inventory of usernames along with their passwords. Credentials stuffing is different from the brute force attack in the sense that it doesn’t attempt to guess the credentials of a user rather uses an inventory of credentials leaked. Credential stuffing attacks are possible because many users reuse the same username/password combination across multiple sites. One survey reported that 81% of users have reused a password across two or more sites and 25% of users use the same passwords across a majority of their accounts.

How Passwordless login helps you?

Passwordless Authentication Reduces Risk, strengthens security by eliminating risky password management practices and reducing attack vectors. It also improves user experiences by eliminating password and secrets fatigue. With Passwordless Authentication, there are not any passwords to memorize or security question answers to recollect. Users can conveniently and securely access applications and services using other authentication methods such as:

Software tokens /hardware token
Fingerprint, voice or face recognition, or retina scanning
A mobile phone or an Email-ID

Passwordless Authentication is usually integrated with Single Sign-On (SSO), so an employee can use the same security keys, or mobile app to access all their enterprise applications and services. Passwordless Authentication is additionally used as a part of a Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) solution, where users are forced to supply multiple sorts of evidence to gain access to enterprise applications and systems. For instance, to access a mobile app, a foreign user could be required to tap a fingerprint sensor and enter a one-time SMS code sent to their phone.

Our advanced MFA solutions support adaptive authentication methods, using contextual information (location, time-of-day, IP address, device type, etc) to work out which authentication factors to prompt on to a specific user during a specific situation. Adaptive MFA balances convenience with security. For example, an employee accessing an enterprise application from a trusted computer might be required to provide just one form of authentication. But to access the application from a foreign country over an untrusted WiFi connection, the user may additionally need to enter an SMS code.

Implement Passwordless Authentication Methods :

miniOrange Passwordless security supports multiple authentication methods one-time passcode over SMS and email, Security Keys, Push Notification, Biometrics, etc. The main intention to select up the dedicated authentication factor is user experience. If the application will run on mobile phones, it will be convenient for users to receive SMS messages. If it’s an enterprise web application that’s used on-premises where users cannot have their mobile phones with them, Email would be the simplest choice. If you opt to use Email, then you have got two options between a one-time-use code or a link-based login. We recommend using one-time-use code as its login flow is more predictable and provides a real-time experience of traditional authentication to end-users.

The most preferable Passwordless login methods are :

OTP over SMS :

It works in a way like, first an individual submits his phone number instead of username/password. Once submitting the mobile no, the user will receive a one-time-use code via SMS. The user after submitting the one-time-use code within the login section will get access to his dedicated application.

OTP over Email

When using passwordless authentication with email, users provide an email address instead of a username/password combination. Counting on how you have got configured your passwordless connection, you will receive a one-time-use code via email. The user after submitting the one-time-use code on the login section will get access to his configured application.

Benefits of going Passwordless

Integrating Passwordless Authentication helps your organizations with both functional and business benefits for organizations.

Improved User Experience

As users only need an email address or mobile number to check in, Passwordless login minimizes user efforts and frustration which directly helps in improving user productivity.

Enhance Security

Passwords are a serious vulnerability as users reuse the same passwords for multiple applications and services alongside sharing with individuals. So adopting Passwordless login protects your organization and users from cyber threats like credential stuffing, Phishing, stolen or weak passwords, Brute-Force Attacks, etc.

Reduced Time with Simplified Operation

Passwordless Authentication reduces the admin burden as they get fewer help desk tickets associated with password reset and passwords management, password expiration, password reset processes, password hashing, and storing.

Passwordless Authentication Factors:

What makes passwordless authentication unique?

What makes passwordless platforms unique is that authentication credentials are never fixed within the system or a user.

“Every time a user sends a request for access, a new authenticating message has got to be generated”.

Considering an example, when a system sends you a confirmation link to your email address. Once you click on the link, it indicates to the server that the user has been verified. An identical process occurs with one-time passwords (OTP) send via email or SMS. Once the code is entered, the application confirms it’s actually the one it generated shortly before and delivered to you.