Passwordless Authentication

The report advocates for a transition from knowledge-based passwords to passwordless authentication, citing the high frequency of data breaches caused by weak credentials and the significant financial burden of password management. It proposes a framework for future authentication based on security, privacy, sustainability, inclusiveness, scalability, and user experience. The document highlights the role of open standards, specifically FIDO2, in enabling interoperability and scalability. It also details several available passwordless technologies, including facial biometrics, hardware keys, QR codes, behavioural analysis, and zero-knowledge proofs.

• Passwords are a primary driver of data breaches; 80% of hacking-related breaches involved compromised and weak credentials, and 29% of all breaches involved stolen credentials.
• Password management imposes significant productivity and financial costs on companies, with employees spending an average of 11 hours annually on password entry or resets, and some companies spending $1 million per year on helpdesk staffing for resets.
• Passwordless authentication improves security by eliminating the need to store personal authentication data on servers, thereby removing single collection points for cyber criminals and mitigating man-in-the-middle attacks.
• The FIDO2 standard, developed with the W3C, enables interoperability and scalability by using public-key cryptography where the private key remains securely on the user's device.
• The report identifies five key passwordless technologies for transition: facial biometric technology for remote verification, hardware keys for high security, animated QR codes to prevent session hijacking, behavioural analysis for invisible authentication, and zero-knowledge proofs to verify secrets without revealing them.

APA

World Economic Forum (2020). Passwordless Authentication. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Passwordless_Authentication.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Passwordless Authentication. 2020. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Passwordless_Authentication.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Passwordless Authentication |date=January 2020 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Passwordless_Authentication.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2020passwordless, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Passwordless Authentication}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2020}, month = jan, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Passwordless_Authentication.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }