Passwords Are a Security Risk Here Is the Fix

The Future of Security & Why Passwords Are Holding You Back

Passwords are becoming a liability.

Hackers exploit weak credentials, employees fall for phishing scams, and businesses keep resetting passwords instead of fixing the real problem.

AuditBoard, a leading cloud-hosted SaaS company, realized this the hard way. A 400% increase in social engineering attacks between 2023 and 2024 forced them to rethink security.

Their solution? Go passwordless.

Why Passwords Are a Security Nightmare

Cybercriminals are not breaking into businesses. They are walking in through stolen credentials.

🔴 Social engineering attacks trick employees into revealing passwords.
🔴 Credential stuffing uses leaked passwords from past breaches.
🔴 Phishing emails lead users to fake login pages that steal credentials.
🔴 Weak passwords are easily guessed, even with basic hacking tools.

Passwords are a hacker’s favorite target because they work. Once attackers gain access to a single set of credentials, they can compromise entire systems.

So, why are businesses still relying on them?

AuditBoard’s Bold Move to Eliminate Passwords

AuditBoard knew they had to do something different.

They saw rising cyber threats, vendor security risks, and growing reliance on third-party integrations. The solution was clear—eliminate passwords altogether.

🚀 They moved vendors to single sign-on (SSO) and open authorization (OAuth).
🚀 They stopped working with vendors that still required static passwords.
🚀 They replaced password-based authentication with passkeys and certificate-based authentication.

Their goal? Make it impossible for attackers to steal something that doesn’t exist.

And it worked.

Today, 90% of their vendors and over 50% of internal users have gone passwordless.

How Passwordless Security Actually Works

No passwords. No reset emails. No phishing risks.

Here’s how passwordless authentication works:

✔ Biometric authentication: Employees log in using fingerprints, facial recognition, or device-based authentication instead of passwords.

✔ Passkeys and public key infrastructure (PKI): Passkeys do not rely on static credentials. They generate a unique authentication request for each login.

✔ Device-based authentication: Users authenticate with trusted devices like their phone, laptop, or security key.

AuditBoard integrated these methods with Microsoft Entra ID and Windows Hello. This integration allows employees to log in securely without ever typing a password.

Why Every Business Needs to Ditch Passwords

Passwords are not just an inconvenience—they are a security risk.

The benefits of going passwordless include:

✅ No more phishing attacks – No passwords to steal, no credentials to exploit.
✅ Faster logins – Employees authenticate instantly without resets or password managers.
✅ Reduced IT costs – No more password resets clogging up your help desk.
✅ Better security – Passkeys and biometrics eliminate weak or reused passwords.

For businesses using cloud security solutions like Datagroup and modern cloud management, this shift is not optional—it’s inevitable.

The Path to a Passwordless Future

AuditBoard expects to be completely passwordless by mid-year.

Other companies should not wait until they suffer a major breach to make the transition.

How to Start Going Passwordless Now

🔹 Adopt multi-factor authentication (MFA) today – If you are still using only passwords, you are already at risk.
🔹 Move to single sign-on (SSO) solutions – Reduce the number of passwords employees need.
🔹 Implement passkeys and biometric authentication – Make stolen credentials useless to hackers.
🔹 Work with cloud security experts – A managed IT service like Datagroup can help your business deploy passwordless security.

The Bottom Line

Passwords are outdated and dangerous.

Businesses that fail to evolve will continue suffering cyberattacks, credential theft, and security breaches.

The companies that go passwordless will be the ones that thrive.

Do not wait until your business becomes the next victim.

Secure your future now.

To schedule your no-obligation assessment for your peace of mind, click here.

#SimplifyIT