When 1 in 4 or 25% of respondents say they cannot remember changing their online password, there is cause for concern. The data is from a new survey and report from PC Matic looking at the struggles with password management.
PC Matic Online Passwords Survey
Businesses and individuals must take more precautions. Passwords are one of the weakest links when it comes to cyber security, according to the report.
Remembering Passwords: Close to 70% of respondents say they have more than one email address. And this, the report says, is making people remember each password mentally (55%). Others write their passwords down (26%) and use a password manager tool (19%).
Based on this data, the report says people are most likely using the same password for multiple accounts. Moreover, the passwords are probably not meeting the advanced complexity measures to ensure proper password hygiene.
What is Password Hygiene?
Password hygiene is a set of best practices for ensuring your passwords are strong and secure. This is always worth repeating because people are still using default passwords in 2020. In this survey alone 53% of individuals say they still use a default password on their wireless router.
Tips from PC Matic
For Individuals:
- Change passwords every six months and reuse them
- Use difficult passwords
- Enable multi-factor authentication
- Have password lockout thresholds on all your devices
- Do not access your personal accounts when you are on your company’s network
- Take cybersecurity training
For Employers:
- Implement password hygiene best practices
- Mandate cybersecurity training for all employees
- Demand your employees to update their passwords every 90 days
- Do not allow the recycling of passwords
- Have employees connect to a VPN before starting work-related tasks
- Enable multi-factor authentication for access privileges
- Apply filters for online activity
- Have default predetermined password threshold lockout times for computers
When you consider the surge of remote workers now making up a larger percentage of a company’s workforce, it is more important than ever to impellent these tips.
Methodology: The survey for this report was carried out in August 2020 with the participation of approximately 1,000 people and their cybersecurity practices. It specifically looked at password protection or hygiene habits.
Image: Depositphotos.com
This article, “25% Can’t Remember Changing Their Online Passwords” was first published on Small Business Trends