On Labour Day, Microsoft has joined the FIDO Alliance and other tech leaders to launch the inaugural World Passkey Day. This initiative will see a shift away from traditional passwords to more secure, phishing-resistant passkeys.
In the newsroom, Microsoft and dozens of organisations have taken the Passkey Pledge to boost the adoption of passwordless sign-ins over the next year. According to the company, the transition can be attributed to the success of Windows Hello, with 99% of users now logging in via facial recognition, fingerprint, or PIN.
With this, all new Microsoft accounts are now created without passwords. Users can choose from secure options like biometrics or one-time codes and never need to set a password. Moreover, a visual update will be rolled out to emphasise passwordless options for logging in or creating accounts. For current Microsoft users, the company will automatically detect and nudge them toward enrolling on passkeys.
According to Microsoft, there were a total of 7,000 password attacks per second in 2024, twice as many as in 2023. Over 15 billion accounts globally also support passkeys, so for more information, you can visit Microsoft's Passkey Security Page or check the FIDO Alliance Directory here.
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