From Watchwords to AI-Smart MFA: The Future of Digital Security

Passwords are fast becoming a relic of times past. Once a breakthrough in the 1960s, they're now teetering on obsolescence, cornered by phishing, re-use, and sheer human forgetfulness.

In this first installment of our Storrito series on the post-password age, we’re taking a step back to understand how we got here, and how MFA, AI, and passkeys are charting the course ahead.

From Ancient Watchwords to Digital Gatekeepers

Passwords started simply. In ancient Rome, “watchwords” let guards distinguish friend from foe at night. Fast-forward to 1960: Fernando Corbató introduced the idea in computing systems at MIT as a way to isolate users in shared environments.

Within a decade, hashing emerged to obscure stored passwords, improving security, but still relying on a single factor.

As the web took off, so did password chaos. These days, we juggle dozens, if not hundreds, of passwords, leading to password fatigue, re-use, and unsafe storage habits.

Introduction of MFA

Multi-factor authentication (MFA), or two-factor authentication (2FA), adds layers of security - something you know (a password), something you have (a device), something you are (biometrics) - in order to block unwanted access to accounts previously protected only by passwords.

Its mainstream adoption rose in the mid-2000s as smartphones became universal. Suddenly, receiving TOTP codes via apps made MFA viable for everyday users.

A Microsoft study of Azure Active Directory accounts found MFA kept over 99.99% of accounts safe, reducing compromise risk by more than 99%, even with leaked credentials.

How AI Fits into the Picture

MFA works, but it’s often frustrating from a user perspective. Copying codes, waiting for SMS, switching apps.... It is safer, but it certainly doesn’t save time. That’s why the push toward adaptive authentication is accelerating.

AI now evaluates the risk of each login in real time, adjusting requirements accordingly, so that it can help assess whether to push for biometric authentication or let familiar traffic pass through.

It also flags anomalous behavior, i.e. logins from new locations or strange device fingerprints, and calibrates security dynamically. The result is account protection that is context-aware.

The Move Towards a Password Free World

Even MFA may not be enough, however. The real shift now is toward passkeys: cryptographic credentials that live on your device, unlocked by biometrics or PIN, and never transmitted like passwords.

Governments and enterprises are catching on: device-bound passkeys, resistant to phishing or remote attacks, are now being adopted for sensitive authentication workflows.

The Next Chapter in Digital Identification

As AI-generated phishing, deepfakes, and credential attacks increase, the need for stronger, smarter authentication grows urgent. Kaspersky has already flagged a sharp rise in AI-powered phishing attempts and deepfake tactics aimed at stealing MFA codes.

Meanwhile, the world is edging toward a password-free future. Apple, Google, and Microsoft are all pushing passkeys as the default, with World Password Day 2025 dominated by news of device-bound credentials taking over.

Still, the shift won’t be instant. Technical complexity, cost, and user inertia mean passwords will linger.

Storrito and Your MFA Journey

Storrito users are often managing several social media accounts. This means balancing security with usability. Getting locked out of your account midway through your content creation workflow is both frustrating and concerning, especially when working with external clients.

That’s why our next article will spotlight tools like Keeper Security, which embed MFA into login workflows without slowing teams down.

In part 2 of this series, we’ll showcase how Keeper continues to reshape secure workflows and how you can use it to keep your social media operations safe at scale.