Do you have trouble remembering all your passwords?
Microsoft’s new Windows 10 software could make logging onto your computer completely password-free — because the password will be your face.
According to a March 17 USA Today article, this biometric authentication, called Windows Hello, is able to recognize a user by his or her face — or, alternately, by the unique patterns of the iris or fingerprint.
Windows Hello will first be made available to enterprise-grade computer servers, and is expected to reach consumer devices, including tablets and smartphones, at a later time.
Apple is currently one step ahead of Windows, with its TouchID feature that allows users to unlock their iPhones and iPads with their fingerprint. However, Apple hasn’t added this feature to its Macbook laptops yet, nor does the company have plans for face- or eye-recognition technology.
Windows Hello isn’t just about convenience — it boasts huge security benefits, as well, since hackers who usually infiltrated computer servers with weak passwords won’t be able to replicate another person’s face structure as easily.
Windows Hello can even detect the difference between an individual’s actual face and a printed photo of his or her face, according to Fortune. This will help keep the computer server manufacturing industry, a $14 billion industry, more secure from data breaches, which are a prevalent threat to most servers today.
“Our system enables you to authenticate applications, enterprise content, and even certain online experiences without a password being stored on your device or in a network server at all,” Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore wrote in a recent blog entry.
The only potential drawback of Windows Hello is the fact that it only works on compatible hardware, meaning you’ll need a brand-new computer if you hope to use this technology that would otherwise cost just $10 to add to a device.
However, the cost of new server hardware is chump change compared to the costs of recovering from a massive data breach.
