While many agree that strong passwords are important, three in four people do not follow widely accepted password best practices, according to a study published on Monday by Keeper Security.
Keeper’s Password Management Report offers troubling insights into the password practices of regular internet users across the globe.
Keeper surveyed 8,000 individuals from the United States, United Kingdom, France, and Germany for its report. Besides asking the respondents about their password habits, the survey also focused on how users feel about cybersecurity. They asked the respondents to relate their feelings on cybersecurity to animal behavior.
“With just over one in four people describing themselves either as an ostrich burying their heads in the sand, careless as a bull in a china shop or a possum paralysed with fear – clearly, the industry still has much work to do to get more people more comfortable with cybersecurity and better protected as a result,” Keeper said.
Complacency and Fear Contribute to Poor Password Practices
Keeper’s survey revealed a worrying trend that signals a lack of understanding or education about password best practices. Nearly half (44%) of the respondents who claimed they maintained strong passwords and cyber hygiene also said they used variations of the same password across websites.
“At first glance, these results may come as a shock, especially to those in the cybersecurity industry who have been touting these simple best practices for years,” Keeper said.
“However, when considering more than one in three people (35%) globally admit to feeling overwhelmed when it comes to taking action to improve their cybersecurity, and one in ten admit to neglecting password management altogether, the results are much less of a surprise,” the report adds.
17% of Gen Z Respondents Repeat Their Passwords
As more and more services go online, we increasingly have to sign up for different platforms. This means creating new passwords. Unfortunately, many people end up using variations of previously used passwords. The survey revealed that young internet users are most susceptible to this dangerous behavior.
“Nearly one in five (17%) Gen Z respondents use simple, repeat variations of passwords, making them the most susceptible to these types of attacks,” Keeper said.
While maintaining multiple strong passwords may seem difficult, that is not the case. Password managers offer a convenient way to create and store strong passwords across services, keeping you safe online and eliminating the hassle of maintaining passwords.
Keeper said only a few respondents knew about password managers and their effectiveness.
“Stranger still, only 7% of respondents globally recognized password managers as the best way to achieve personal cybersecurity,” the report revealed.
Password managers work well against phishing attacks as well. Phishing links impersonate legitimate website URLs, which people can miss if they don’t pay close attention. Password managers will not auto-input passwords onto URLs that do not match the saved site.
64% of Respondents Don’t Follow Recommended Password Practices
The survey revealed that 30% of the respondents use weak passwords and 34% repeat variations of other passwords. This practice leaves people vulnerable to various attacks, including credential stuffing.
For example, if someone uses a similar password for their social media and a banking/financial service, an attacker could hack their accounts, spread malicious links to friends and connections, and swipe money and financial data from their bank account.
Keeper cited a Verizon Data Breach Investigation report which claims that nearly 80% of data breaches can be traced back to leaked login credentials.
NordPass recently published a study that looked at the password practices of employees of some of the world’s most valuable companies. Despite having compulsory security training exercises and tests, 68% of the subjects had weak passwords. The researchers found that ‘123456’ and ‘password’ were the most common passwords.
Check out our review of Keeper to discover what we like about this password manager and its shortcomings. If you’re on a tight budget, you’ll find alternatives in our article on the best free password managers.
