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If you're in the bad habit of recycling passwords for your online accounts, it's the perfect time to switch to stronger protection on your online accounts. There isn't a better time to change how you secure your online accounts, with cybercrime on the rise. “Remote purchases”, a type of fraud where criminals use stolen logins to buy something, reached nearly 2.6 million cases in 2024 — more than 7,000 incidents per day.
And that's not all. In the year ending March 2025, the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau recorded a 36% increase in computer misuse offences referred by Action Fraud (55,576 offences) vs the previous year. Major companies, including Google, Plex, and WhatsApp, have recently confirmed data breaches, where passwords and other sensitive information have been reported stolen.
For instance, Plex just issued a warning to all users to reset their passwords now in its latest data breach. Google confirmed one of the biggest data breaches for Gmail users, too. The UK has also been named the most dangerous country in Europe for malware attacks, thanks to phishing scams.
It now sits in third place for the highest number of malware attacks in the world, with 103 million incidents recorded within three months alone. In an era where data breaches and phishing scams are becoming increasingly more common, ensuring your accounts are secure is vital for keeping your personal information safe.
There are three rising passwordless login trends: Passkeys, password managers, and biometric technology
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However, managing your account passwords has become increasingly challenging.
"Today, the average person manages 70–100 online accounts, each requiring a username and password. Security best practice calls for long, unique passwords, but most people can only remember a few, said Alicia Leone, security sales specialist at TierPoint.
"As a result, they fall back on risky habits like reusing simple passwords or writing them down. This is especially concerning in the workplace, where 10–25 of these accounts are job-related and where writing down credentials is strongly discouraged."
To combat the ongoing security concerns from hackers, these three passwordless login trends have risen to the forefront to help better protect you.
1. Take advantage of passkeys
Passkeys are a modern, passwordless way to sign in to apps and websites. Instead of remembering complex passwords, passkeys use cryptographic keys tied to your device and biometrics (like Face ID, Touch ID, or a PIN) to securely verify your identity. They’re resistant to phishing and data breaches, making logins both safer and easier.
"My recommendation is to use passkeys instead of passwords whenever possible and keep them in a reliable password manager. This is the least you can do for yourself in order to protect yourself from credential-based threats," said Oleg Naumenko, CEO & co-founder at Hideez.
Using passkeys also streamlines your login process, so you don't take up too much time out of your day typing in every password.
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2. Use a password manager
A password manager is a secure tool that stores and organises your login credentials in one place. It generates strong, unique passwords for each account and auto-fills them when needed, so you don’t have to remember them all. This helps protect against weak or reused passwords while making sign-ins faster and more convenient.
"NordPass has been publishing a list of the world's most popular passwords for years, warning people not to use them. However, annual studies show that '123456', 'qwerty', and similar passwords continue to be among the most popular globally," said Karolis Arbaciauskas, head of product at NordPass.
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3. Identify your account with biometric technology
Biometric technology uses unique physical or behavioural traits—like fingerprints, facial recognition, or voice patterns to verify identity. It offers quick, convenient, and secure authentication since traits like your fingerprints are very difficult to steal or duplicate, reducing reliance on passwords.