Has World Password Day outlived its usefulness?

Maybe it’s time to pass on the humble password.

That’s what some privacy experts are saying about World Password Day, the unofficial May 1 holiday invented by Intel in 2013 aimed at raising awareness on security and password safety. In today’s world, as we move toward a passwordless future, the need for gimmicks to raise awareness is questionable, BeyondID CEO Arun Shrestha told IT Brew.

“Instead of saying this is about World Password Day, how about thinking about it the right way, more like the identity-first approach?” Shrestha said.

More businesses are looking to implement passwordless standards, with the understanding that the general public is likely to slowly follow suit. Still, organizations like RSA are moving forward with plans to implement the new passkeys to offer a “range of options” for users.

For Shrestha, a passwordless future involves ensuring that security moves on from a “dated approach” that no longer applies to today’s security needs.

Jeff Shiner, co-CEO of 1Password (of whom Morning Brew is a client), told IT Brew that his company sees the passwordless future as a positive.

“One, we’re all going to be better off with no passwords; that’s got to be the goal of everyone, as humans we’ll be better off, it will be more secure and be more convenient,” Shiner said. “Then the second unfortunate truth is, I think passwords will continue to be a part of reality for many years to come.”

Because of that reality, he agrees with continuing to raise awareness through World Password Day. After all, in breach after breach, vulnerabilities are exposed due to human error and faulty password hygiene. That means that, at least for now, there’s a need for maintaining it.

“It’s very much in need, even though I think the tone of it should start to change to ‘use alternatives,’ or ‘use things like MFA in addition, where it’s required, along with a strong, unique password,’” Shiner said. “So, I think it’s the education that is most valuable about the day.”