Since March, corporate Microsoft users have been able to replace passwords with an authenticator app to log in to MS products. And now that is an option for everyone.
Authenticator apps are already in common use (we use them when signing in to Microsoft as well our email marketing, accounts and tax software) and they rely on generating a time-sensitive code to be entered at the login page, from a previously certified phone.
There are a number of authenticator apps, but we would always recommend choosing one from a company you trust (Microsoft and Google seem to be the most downloaded).
This BBC tech article explains more, and you can read a more detailed Microsoft blog here.
And of course we will be talking about this in our free cyber security seminar on Friday 24th September – you can sign up here.