{
  "id": 17088564,
  "title": "New authentication research charts shift away from passwords",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/new-authentication-research-charts-shift-away-from-passwords",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-29T16:16:24.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Arabian Post",
    "slug": "arabian-post",
    "url": "https://thearabianpost.com/new-authentication-research-charts-shift-away-from-passwords/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A recent study indicates the rapid shift away from traditional passwords toward passkeys, despite lingering concerns. The FIDO Alliance reported that seven billion passkeys are now in use globally, a seven billion increase from May. Passkeys accounted for 36% of successful sign-ins across major platforms like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft in 2026, up from 26% a year earlier. The traditional password-authenticated methods, combined with multi-factor authentication, succeeded in just 78% of attempts. Passkey sign-ins also proved faster, reducing login time by about 27 seconds.\n\nSeparate research by password manager Dashlane found that monthly passkey authentications among its users nearly doubled in the past year, reaching 2.5 million. The proportion of users holding at least one passkey increased to 57%, up from 40% in 2025 and 20% in 2024. If this trend continues, approximately four in five of Dashlane's users could have at least one passkey by mid-2027. However, the transition is not uniform, with around seven in ten authentications still relying on other methods in the most passkey-adopted domain. Surveys also reveal that despite 87% of cybersecurity professionals being aware of passkeys, 43% still use passwords for workplace access, often due to existing systems and onboarding practices.\n\nPasskeys replace memorized secrets with cryptographic credentials linked to specific services, protected on users' devices or within credential providers. They are unlocked through biometric methods like fingerprints or facial recognition. While passkeys offer enhanced security against phishing and credential-stuffing attacks, their implementation faces practical challenges. These include issues during device switching, account sharing, and recovery after losing a phone. Organizations must also address older applications, shared workstations, and users who may be unwilling to adopt new technologies.\n\nThe transition also raises security implications beyond convenience. A study by Yubico and Okta found that 44% of surveyed organizations experienced AI-driven attacks in the past year, highlighting the importance of authentication methods that do not rely on recognizing suspicious messages. Even Microsoft has taken steps, removing security questions as a password-reset option in its Entra ID identity platform by January 2027, demonstrating the withdrawal of weaker recovery methods alongside continued support for passwords elsewhere. While passkeys enhance security, securing account recovery and administrative access remains crucial for both consumers and businesses.",
  "summary": "Passwords are losing ground to passkeys, but new authentication studies show that their disappearance by 2027 remains far from certain despite accelerating adoption and growing concern over cyberattacks. The FIDO Alliance said this month that an estimated seven billion passkeys are now in use worldwide, up from five billion in May. Its 2026 Passkey Index found that passkeys accounted for 36% of…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}