Poor Password Habits Can Endanger Business

Poor Password Habits Can Endanger Business

Poor Password Habits Can Endanger Business

Most people use easy-to-remember passwords because their fear of forgetting is stronger than their fear of being hacked. That creates problems for companies.

Most Breaches Abuse Passwords

63% of breaches in 2016 used weak, default or stolen passwords, so companies should urge employees to create strong, unique passwords with a minimum of 12 to 14 characters that include numbers, letters and symbols.

How Users Describe Secure Passwords

Combination of letters, numbers and symbols: 82%, Upper- and lower-case letters: 69%, 12 characters or more: 67%.

How Users Create Passwords

Initials, or friends or family names: 47%, Significant dates and numbers: 42%, Pet names: 26%, Birthdays: 21%, Hometowns: 14% School names or mascots: 13%

Cognitive Dissonance

91% of respondents know that there is a risk associated with reusing passwords, yet 61% reuse the same or similar passwords anyway.

What People Protect the Most

Financial data: 69%, Retail: 43%, Social media: 31%, Entertainment: 20%

Personal Versus Work Password Habits

39% of the respondents said they create more secure passwords for personal accounts than they do for work accounts.

Your Personality Can Get You Hacked

Personality has an impact on how people rationalize their online security behavior. Type A personalities' password behavior stems from their need to be in control. Type B personalities rationalize their poor behavior by convincing themselves that their accounts are of little value to hackers.

Type A Personalities and Password Behavior

Control: 35% reuse because they want to remember all passwords. Detail-oriented: 49% have a personal “system” for remembering passwords. Deliberate: 66% are proactive in order to help keep personal information secure. Driven: 86% said having a strong password makes them feel that they are protecting themselves and their family.

Type B Personalities and Password Behavior

Nonchalant: 45% believe their accounts are not worth hackers' time. Laid-back: 43% prioritize a password that is easy to remember over one that is secure. Flexible: 50% feel they should limit their online accounts and activities for fear of a password breach. Preoccupied: 86% feel other factors besides a weak password could compromise their online security.