Time to Switch: How to Set Up Passkeys Before Microsoft Ditches SMS 2FA Logins
Microsoft is phasing out SMS-based two-factor authentication for local account logins due to security vulnerabilities. The company is promoting the use of passkeys as a more secure alternative, which utilize biometric data or local security features. While passkeys enhance security, they may not always be as convenient as SMS for some users.
- ▪Microsoft is moving away from SMS-based two-factor authentication due to its vulnerability to fraud.
- ▪Passkeys will replace SMS as a method of authentication for Microsoft accounts.
- ▪Users will soon be prompted to set up a passkey if they do not have one.
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| Original publisher | PCMag |
| Canonical URL | https://www.pcmag.com/news/time-to-switch-set-up-passkeys-before-microsoft-ditches-sms-2fa-logins |
| Publication time | Thu, 21 May 26 19:10:48 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-21T19:41:35.673Z |
| Last seen | 2026-05-21T19:41:35.673Z |
| Headline source | Publisher (no WeSearch rewrite) |
| Excerpt source | publisher body |
| Excerpt method | First ~120 words (~800 chars) of extracted publisher body, fair-use limited. |
| Summary | WeSearch · cerebras-chat (WeSearch summarizer) |
| Summary source text | contentText |
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| Cluster | 2qHrA1oWsuwX · 2 stories |
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| Ranking reason | Story pages are not engagement-ranked. Hub feeds use recency, with optional source-diversified chronological ordering (cap consecutive stories per source). No personalized ranking. |
| Publisher visit | Yes — open original |
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| Indexing | May the item be indexed (stored, ranked, made findable)? | Allowed |
| Snippet | May a short excerpt of the publisher's text be shown? | Allowed |
| AI summary | May WeSearch generate its own short summary of the article? | Limited |
| Retrieval / RAG | May the content be exposed for third-party retrieval-augmented generation? | Not asserted |
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| Commercial reuse | May the content be reused commercially? | Not permitted |
Basis: Derived from the published RSS/Atom feed. Contact: [email protected]. Reviewed: 2026-07-24.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Microsoft is continuing its passkey push by moving away from SMS-based two-factor authentication for local account logins, citing its vulnerability to exploitation and fraud. Instead, it wants everyone to start using passkeys (and eventually, ditch passwords altogether).Although text messages have proved a useful way to add an extra layer of security to account logins, they were never designed for this purpose. SMS messages are sent in plaintext, making them a vulnerable vector for man-in-the-middle and number spoofing attacks."Microsoft is committed to advancing security standards and as such, we will start phasing out SMS as a method of authentication and account recovery for personal Microsoft accounts," Microsoft said in an official advisory.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at PCMag.
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