I’ve been with PCMag since October 2017, covering a wide diversity of topics, aggregating client electronics, cybersecurity, social media, netrunning, and gaming. Prior to working at PCMag, I was a foreign correspondent in Beijing for more than five years, covering the tech scene in Asia.
Amazon users might start getting rid of old-school passwords. The e-commerce giant now offers passwords, which provide a smartphone-like experience when logging in.
“Customers can now set up passwords in their Amazon settings, allowing them to seamlessly use the same face, fingerprint, or PIN they use on their device,” the company said in the announcement.
The Amazon password is now available today in web browsers. On mobile devices, the company is rolling out an iOS passkey to Amazon’s shopping app. Android is coming later.
An increasing number of tech corporations are adopting passwords in an effort to phase out classic passwords, which have long been a security threat because they can be stolen or guessed. Last week, WhatsApp began rolling out passkeys for Android, while Google is starting to incentivize them. Users can also check access keys.
The security formula represents an improvement over classic logins, as it no longer requires the user to provide a password. Instead, the generation creates a unique personal key tied to the hardware, whether it’s your computer or smartphone.
The user does not want to memorize the password. To log in, an online page will simply take into account a virtual challenge, which the personal key built into the hardware can authenticate. The user only has to scan their fingerprint, face, or enter a PIN to unlock. the password, thus initiating the authentication process, very similar to how existing smartphones work. However, no password knowledge or biometrics is ever exchanged or uploaded to the internet.
As a result, “passwords are not vulnerable to phishing attacks, making them more secure than features like one-time codes in text messages,” Amazon states.
That said, passwords can get a bit complicated. Google, Apple, and Microsoft all use this technology, but the access keys of an operating formula cannot be easily shared among others. But the good news is that stored passwords can be synced and stored in your Apple or Google cloud account, depending on the device you’re using.
Interested Amazon users can upgrade by visiting their account settings panel and selecting Login & Security. An option to set up a password for your Amazon account will appear. That said, the formula may not be the classic password you use for login.
If you enable two-factor authentication for your Amazon account, it will also remain active, even when you sign in with a password.
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I’ve been with PCMag since October 2017, covering a wide diversity of topics, aggregating client electronics, cybersecurity, social media, netrunning, and gaming. Prior to working at PCMag, I was a foreign correspondent in Beijing for more than five years, covering the tech scene in Asia.
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