Passwords to be a relic soon

Imagine you have a secret handshake that only you and your best friend know. Every time you want to hang out at their house, you do the handshake to prove it’s really you. That secret handshake is a lot like a password.

For a long time, almost everything online worked this way. You made up a secret word or phrase, told the website, and used it to log in. But secrets that get shared can get stolen. That’s why the whole internet is starting to ditch passwords and switch to something much better called passkeys (along with things like authenticator apps and special security keys). This change is already happening fast in 2026, and big companies are making it the new normal.

A quick history of passwords

Passwords aren’t ancient. They were invented in 1961 by a scientist named Fernando Corbató at MIT. Back then, computers were huge and shared by many people. He needed a way so each person could only see their own files. A secret password was a simple solution.

For decades it worked okay. Then the internet exploded. Suddenly millions of people were making passwords for email, games, banks, and shopping. People reused the same password everywhere, picked easy ones like “password123,” or wrote them down. Hackers started stealing huge lists of passwords and posting them online (putting them in the “public domain” so anyone could try them).

Phishing became common: fake emails or websites that trick you into typing your password. Attackers also use “credential stuffing” — trying stolen passwords from one site on lots of other sites. In recent years, AI has made these tricks even faster and more convincing. Passwords, which rely on a shared secret that both you and the website know, just couldn’t keep up. They are being phased out because they are too easy to steal, guess, or trick people into giving away.

What are passkeys?

A passkey is like a special digital key that lives safely on your phone, computer, or tablet. Here’s the simple version of how it works:

• When you create a passkey for a website, your device makes two matching pieces of math (called a key pair).
• One piece (the public key) goes to the website.
• The other piece (the private key) never leaves your device. It stays locked away and is protected by your fingerprint, face scan, or device PIN.

When you want to log in, the website sends a challenge. Your device uses the private key to answer it only after you unlock it with your biometrics or PIN. The private key itself is never sent over the internet.

This is based on public-key cryptography (the same strong math that keeps online shopping and messaging safe). Because the secret never travels and only works for the real website, passkeys are phishing-resistant. A fake website can’t trick your device into using the passkey.

Passkeys are usually unique to each site, so even if something goes wrong with one, the others stay safe. Many can also sync securely across your devices (through Apple, Google, or Microsoft accounts) so you can use them on your phone and laptop.

Authenticators: the helpers that make it work

“Authenticators” are the things that hold and unlock your passkeys or add extra proof:

• Your phone or computer itself (using Face ID, fingerprint, or PIN).
• Authenticator apps (like Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, or Authy) that used to mainly generate one-time codes, but now also help with passkeys.
• Hardware security keys (small USB or Bluetooth gadgets like a YubiKey) that you plug in or tap for extra-strong protection.

These are stronger than old text-message codes, which hackers can sometimes intercept.

Why the big switch is happening now

Big tech companies and security groups (especially the FIDO Alliance) have been building this for years. In 2026 the change is accelerating:

• Microsoft is making passkeys the default way to sign in to work and school accounts (Microsoft Entra ID) starting September 1, 2026. Older methods like SMS text codes and phone calls will be retired in early 2027.
• Google, Apple, WhatsApp, and many other services already support passkeys and are pushing people toward them. Some new accounts are being created without passwords at all.
• Security experts (including the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre) now recommend passkeys as the best everyday option because they are both safer and easier.

People who use passkeys log in faster and with fewer “I forgot my password” headaches. Companies see fewer account takeovers and fewer support calls.

Passwords won’t disappear overnight. Older websites will still need them for a while, and password managers remain useful during the transition. But for important accounts (email, banking, social media, work), passkeys are quickly becoming the gold standard.

What you can do right now

1. When a site or app offers to create a passkey, say yes — especially for your main email and important accounts.
2. Make sure your devices have a strong screen lock (PIN only, do not use fingerprint, or face).
3. Keep a password manager for the sites that still need passwords, and turn on passkey support inside it if available.
4. For extra-important accounts, consider a hardware security key. https://amzn.to/4z0hgct

Think of it like upgrading from a flimsy padlock that anyone can pick or copy to a high-tech lock that only opens when you are standing right there with your fingerprint. The old secret-handshake system served us for a long time, but the internet has outgrown it. Passkeys (and the authenticators that power them) are the simpler, safer way forward.

If you want to try the next generation option for passwords that I highly recommend, purchase a USB hardware security key device with MFA support. Here is one on amazon. https://amzn.to/4z0hgct