The Rise of Magic Links and How They Change Login Methods

Nov 19, 2025  Jortty

One of the highly evolving trends in passwordless authentication is the magic link. Numerous firms are using Magic Links to authenticate without a password. Magic Link authentication can often help mitigate risks; however, it comes with some severe security weaknesses that businesses should consider before its implementation.

What is Magic Link Authentication?

Magic Link authentication often creates a unique link for every user login session that gets used one time. Users get prompted to enter their user ID and then get notified that an email is sent with a link to the resource they wish to access through their secure home networks. After the user clicks on the link present in the email they received will complete the flow of authentication as they are granted access to the resource. It would represent the passwordless form of MFA or multi-factor authentication with the replacement of a password with something that you know, i.e., the email address.

Email magic links are the safest alternative to passwords since the link is sent to the user’s specific email address. As a result, employees need not memorize their passwords or reset them upon forgetting. This can notably minimize the risk of using simple passwords that are lost or stolen.

When Magic Links Are Used

Prevent Password-Based Attacks

People and enterprises are prone to get hacked, and one of the prime attack vectors hackers use is stealing password credentials. You can implement magic links through a home network setup so that each login has to be authorized through the email address of the account holder. This prevents the hacker from accessing the account.

Infrequent Logins

If you have a website application that demands users log in often, you can use magic links instead of passwords. This reduces the friction required for the account owner to log into the app. The use case is often suited for mobile apps, where users tend to stay logged in for a longer time.

Device Authentication

Several apps need their users to confirm whenever they are logging in using a device they have never used earlier. It is the feature ensuring that it is not the malicious actor who is accessing the account of the user through a different device. You can implement a magic link to maintain network security to streamline the device authentication process. You can send the link to the email address of the user for them to click and confirm their login.

How Magic Link Authentication Works

The magic links work by embedding the token in the URL of the link that is time-limited and unique. It is the token that is often linked to the accounts of the user and gets verified through the server when the link is accessed. After the server confirms the token as valid and has not yet expired, then, the user is marked as authenticated. Here is what the users will find whenever they are going through the magic link authentication:

• The user is entering their email address in the login page of the app
• The user is getting an email with a link
• After the user clicks on the link, they are logged in.

The ease of using these steps is the way how magic link evolved across the tech marketplace. However, to make this magic happen, there are a couple of other things taking place, and here is how it works in more detail:

• The user enters their email address on the login page of the application
• The email address gets checked against the database to check whether a registered user is trying to log in
• The application generates the token and embeds it into the magic link. The toke is even stored for validation later on
• The application then sends the user an email that has a link. There are more parameters added to the link, like the session limits and expiry time
• The user clicks on the link, and the application checks the token
• The user is logged in now

If you find that the steps we have mentioned are familiar since they are almost when you hit password reset, the password reset link is sent to the users to a page for creating a new password. Magic links then grant the users one-time account access.

Final thoughts

Magic links are the ideal way to make it easier for users to log in, but they pose a serious security risk to the company’s customer identities. Authentication through biometrics offers the ideal balance of advanced security measures and user experience. It is time to go passwordless for both the company and the customers.