Dumping passwords can improve your security

 

They're hard to remember, hackers exploit their weaknesses and fixes often bring their own problems. 

Dashlane, LastPass, 1Password and other password managers generate strong and unique passwords for 

every account you have, but the software is complex. Services from Google, Facebook and Apple allow 

you to use your passwords for their services at other sites, but you have to give them even more power 

over your life online. Two-factor authentication, which requires a second passcode sent by text message 

or retrieved from a special app each time you log in, boosts security dramatically but can still be 

defeated.

A big change, however, could eliminate passwords altogether. The technology, called FIDO, overhauls

 the log-in process, combining your phone; face and fingerprint recognition; and new gadgets called 

hardware security keys. If it delivers on its promise, FIDO will make cringeworthy passwords like 

"123456" relics of a bygone age.

"A password is something you know. A device is something you have. Biometrics is something you 

are," said Stephen Cox, chief security architect of SecureAuth "We're moving to something you have 

and something you are."