In 2025, many are leaving behind traditional passwords, trading them for methods like biometrics, hardware tokens, push notifications, one-time passcodes, and especially passkeys device-tied cryptographic credentials that are harder to phish or leak. 

But switching to passwordless isn’t a magic bullet. Biometrics can be tricked (fake fingerprints, photos, etc.), devices may be lost or compromised, and fallback mechanisms are risk points. Social engineering and alert fatigue continue to pose threats.

To do it right, organizations and users must adopt multi-layered security: strong phishing defenses, careful regulation of fallback routes, secure device hygiene, and perhaps continued multi-factor authentication for the most sensitive operations.

Regulatory frameworks and standards (e.g. EU PSD2, NIST in the US) are pushing toward passwordless methods not just as novelty, but as compliance measures. Ultimately, convenience and safety can coexist but only if passwordless setups are designed to maximize the former and plug the inevitable gaps.