Amazon is the latest big tech company to ditch passwords – here’s why it matters to you
Amazon has joined the recent trend of major tech companies offering passwordless logins to their customers.
The retail giant is introducing support for passkeys on its website and apps, meaning customers won’t have to enter their password to log in. Instead, they just need to authenticate their access with whatever they use to lock their smart device, such as their fingerprint, face, or PIN.
The private part of the access key is stored cryptographically on your device, but can also be used on your other devices thanks to cloud synchronization. The keys are generated automatically, so you do not have to create or remember any codes.
The key takeover
Furthermore, they are also considered more secure than passwords for this reason. Because no one knows what the private keys are – not even the user – they cannot be phished by cybercriminals.
Users of Amazon’s apps on iPhone can enable passkeys by going to Your Account – Login & Security – Passkey Setup. It looks like Android users will have to hold off on using passcodes on their devices as Amazon said they will be available to them soon.
It was only a matter of time before Amazon joined Apple, Google and Microsoft in offering password support. Like the others, Amazon is a board member of the FIDO Alliance, the association that sets technological standards for access keys.
It is therefore not surprising that these are the most prominent services to adopt password keys to date. Only a handful of others outside their circle have done the same, including BestBuy, eBay and PayPal.
However, in recent months more and more people have become involved. LinkedIn and X are preparing to offer them to their users, as is WhatsApp. But while many are excited about a passwordless future, some believe passwords will be around for a while.
However, passwords are often the weak link in the chain and provide a prime target for threat actors to obtain in a variety of ways, from phishing campaigns to malware and infostealer installations. It is hoped that passkeys will put an end to such attacks.