Passwords are a constant security threat. A recent report shows that 80% of hacking-related breaches are due to weak or stolen passwords. To prevent damage from password leaks, you need to use unique passwords on every website. These should also be strong passwords–long, unpredictable passwords that contain numbers and symbols.
Here are some ‘not-so-fun’ facts revealed in a recent study on the psychology of password use:
We use the same password over and over: 91% know that using the same or a variation of the same password is a risk, but 66% do it anyway.
We use our memory to keep track of passwords: 54% keep track of passwords by memorizing them, but 25% reset their passwords once a month or more because they forgot them.
We ignore breaches: 52% haven’t changed their password in the last 12 months–even after learning a brand they use has had a security breach.
We are predictable: Personal information can be easily found by hackers on your social media accounts or by doing a quick internet search. 22% could guess their significant other’s password, and 24% use sentimental information in their passwords.
Web geeks have hundreds of accounts to keep track of, but even the average person likely has more than ten different passwords. Remembering strong passwords is nearly impossible without resorting to some sort of trick. The ideal trick is a password manager that generates secure, random passwords for you and remembers them so you don’t have to.
Recommended personal use solutions include LastPass, 1Password, and KeePass. Additionally, Passwordstate, the LSA Technology Services enterprise password management solution, is currently available to LSA Technology Services staff to store personal passwords, separate from any shared password folders they may have access to. LSA Technology Services is in the planning stages to roll out Passwordstate to all LSA staff. Learning to use a password manager may seem intimidating, but once you start using one to create strong, unique passwords that you don’t have to remember, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without one.
