A single successful phishing attack nearly cost a major U.S. HVAC and refrigeration contractor and its client hundreds of thousands of dollars. When an attacker tricked an employee into sharing their login credentials, Active Directory automatically synchronized the user’s passwords. This gave the attacker access to on-premises resources, allowing him to generate a fraudulent invoice to a customer.

Fortunately, the attempt was caught before the customer’s payment was redirected to a criminal account. However, it exposed a serious security weakness for the company: passwords. The company’s IT leaders realized that no amount of training, filtering, or “strong password” rules could eliminate the risks – especially with AI making spear-phishing tricker than ever for employees to spot. The company needed a stronger, simpler, and truly phishing-proof authentication method.

Better security. Better user experiences.

To harden their systems against future attacks, the company replaced all user-managed passwords with the Passwordless authentication technology behind Password Free. The new authentication system not only strengthened their security, but also streamlined the login experiences for the hundreds of employees who accessed company systems in the office and from the field.

Now, employees log into their computers, company network, and Microsoft 365 accounts through a secure mobile authenticator instead of typing passwords. When logging in, users receive a push notification to their registered device. With one swipe, they confirm their identity via a secure, out-of-band channel—eliminating the need for password entry altogether. Even users in remote locations without reliable internet access can authenticate using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) connections.

Unlike traditional MFA solutions that rely on OTPs or phone codes, this implementation directly integrates with Active Directory, enabling company-wide coverage without re-architecting existing systems. The solution also hardened Active Directory itself by removing static credentials from user accounts.

The results were immediate. The IT Director observed, “Users enjoy the product, and we feel much more comfortable knowing that our network is more protected.”

• Zero phishing risk. No passwords mean no credentials to steal or reuse.

• Simplified user experience. Employees simply swipe to log in—no codes, no resets, no frustration.

• Improved resilience. Authentication now works online and offline, across all AD-connected systems.

• Better protection for customers. Eliminating password-based attacks prevents fraudulent transactions.

By removing passwords entirely, this company didn’t just fix a security gap—it eliminated the root cause of phishing once and for all.