Toward a password-free future: the role of privileged access management

Passwords were created to protect systems and ended up as one of their weakest points. They are reused, shared, written down, stolen through phishing and tested by the million in automated attacks. That is why the industry increasingly talks about a password-free future.

That future does not arrive overnight. And while it does, one group of accounts cannot wait: privileged accounts. This is where privileged access management (PAM) takes center stage.

Why passwords are still the weak link

A password is a shared secret: if someone else knows it, they can impersonate you. The problem is not only technical, it is human. People manage dozens of accounts and take shortcuts. Attackers know this and focus on obtaining credentials rather than breaking systems.

When a stolen credential belongs to a regular user, the damage is usually limited. When it belongs to a domain administrator, a service account or the cloud console, the attacker gets the keys to the entire building.

What “passwordless” really means

Passwordless authentication does not mean no verification; it means replacing the memorized secret with factors that are harder to steal: FIDO2-based passkeys, device-bound biometrics, certificates or hardware keys. These methods resist phishing because the credential never travels and cannot be typed into a fake site.

In practice, organizations live for years with legacy systems that still require passwords, apps that do not support modern methods and technical accounts that do not belong to a person. The realistic goal is therefore to progressively reduce dependence on passwords and better protect the ones that remain.

The role of PAM in that transition

Privileged access management controls who can make critical changes, when, and with what evidence. Its core capabilities fit directly into a passwordless strategy:

• Credential vaulting and rotation: admin passwords are no longer held by people; they are stored encrypted and changed automatically.
• Just-in-time (JIT) access: privilege is granted only when needed and expires afterwards, removing standing power.
• Least privilege: each person receives only the permissions their task requires.
• Monitored sessions: administrative actions are recorded for audit and investigation.
• Secrets out of code: credentials embedded in scripts, applications and automations are removed.

The safest password is the one no person needs to know.

A five-step roadmap

1. Inventory privileges. Identify admin, service, break-glass and vendor accounts. There are almost always more than expected.
2. Protect administrators first. Require phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication for privileged users before everyone else.
3. Move secrets into a vault. Centralize, rotate and log the use of privileged credentials.
4. Reduce standing privilege. Shift to temporary, approved access for critical tasks.
5. Extend passkeys to users. With the privileged foundation secured, expand passwordless authentication to email, SaaS and internal apps.

Questions the board should ask

• How many people and systems hold administrative privileges today?
• Are those privileges permanent or temporary?
• Who reviews access, and how often?
• Could we tell what an administrator did during an incident?
• What share of our access already uses phishing-resistant authentication?

Conclusion

A password-free future is the right direction, but it is traveled in stages. Starting with privileged access delivers the greatest risk reduction for the relative effort, and builds the identity discipline that will make the rest of the journey easier.

menu_book Reference: original LandoHOUSE editorial article, developed from the topic covered in Core Security (Fortra) — Navigating Toward a Password-Free Future with Privileged Access Management. It is not a literal translation and implies no affiliation with the source.