In the modern cloud landscape, security is more important than ever. AI-based, GPU-powered algorithms have made passwords a major weakness in security. Security is now being “baked in” from the very first API call.  Historically, the process of provisioning a virtual machine (VM) has relied on legacy patterns, including the mandatory root password. A practice that once ensured security now creates immediate security risks. Akamai Cloud is introducing password-less provisioning and atomic customization as we move beyond simple convenience and align our infrastructure practices with Zero Trust principles. This approach gives developers the tools to build hardened, production-ready environments in a single, secure transaction. The death of the security anti-pattern: Mandatory root passwords For years, the industry standard for cloud provisioning required a root_password during creation. While functional, this created a significant security anti-pattern.…