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ZDNET's key takeaways
Free Microsoft accounts can use passkeys instead of passwords.
Passwordless sign-ins are more secure and highly phishing-resistant.
Set up multiple sign-in and recovery options before going passwordless.
These days, I'm very popular in Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and even Albania. At least, that's what it looks like based on this list of recent attempts to sign in to my Microsoft account. (That list is available for any Microsoft account at this management page: https://account.microsoft.com. After signing in, click Security and then click "View my sign-in activity.")
What these attackers don't know is that every password is incorrect for this passwordless account. Screenshot by Ed Bott/ZDNET
In my case, those desperate hackers are wasting their time. They can try every combination of letters, numbers, and symbols in every alphabet known to humanity, even if it takes until the end of the universe, and they will never guess the password for my Microsoft account.
Also: What are passkeys really? The simple explanation - for anyone tired of passwords
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