Will We Soon Say Goodbye To The Email Password?

A majority of consumers favor new authentication methods over traditional passwords, according to a new study by Gigya.

Some 52% of the 2,000 of the UK and U.S. respondents participating in the survey conducted by OnePoll.com disapprove with current login security systems.

Among the alternative login measures preferred by consumers are two-factor authentication, favored by 29% of respondents, and biometrics, favored by 20% of respondents.

Biometric authentication methods are also more trusted by consumers, with 80% of respondents saying they consider it to be a more secure login measure than traditional passwords.

The eagerness for new login security features is not surprising considering the plethora of data leaks recently, including the revelation that 117 million LinkedIn emails and password combinations were hacked in 2012.

In addition, more than a quarter of consumers have had at least one online account compromised within the last year according to Gigya.

Although consumers are eager for new login security features, Gigya’s study also suggests that many may be ironically putting themselves at higher risk for a cybercrime. 56% of respondents use a password they know is not secure and a quarter do not create more complicated passwords for financial accounts.

Amidst mounting security concerns, technology companies have taken up the mantle to create better authentication methods.

Microsoft announced plans this week to ban easy-to-guess passwords, such as ‘password’ or ‘123456,’ and Google recently announced plans to begin testing new login features as well.

At its annual I/O conference, Google unveiled its Trust API, a new login that aims to replace the traditional password with a series of biometric indicators, such as facial recognition, voice patterns and how a user moves. Google plans to kill off passwords on Android devices by the end of the year.

Gigya offers a customer identity management platform for Enterprise brands and counts Fox, Forbes and Verizon among its clientele. Product features include the ability to identify customers across devices and Gigya customers can integrate their customers’ profile data into marketing and sales applications.

Gigya also provides developers with a suite of APIs for profile management, data analytics, third-party integrations, secure registration and authentication.

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