#1 Way Passwords Can Fail You

How often do you change your passwords? How often do you reuse old passwords? Do you use the same password amongst multiple different platforms?

The number 1 way passwords are failing to protect you is when users are reusing passwords, leading to weak security for their accounts.

If you keep up with The IT Company’s blog series, you likely know that password security is extremely important in your security.

The IT Company is constantly preaching to our customers and employees the priority they must put on having strong password security. But a recent report has heightened our awareness of how many people are not taking this as seriously as they need to be.

HYPR a well-known security outfit, recently surveyed 200 people, and what they found was powerful enough to share.

“Not only did 72% of users admit that they reused the same passwords in their personal life, but also 49% admitted that when forced to update their passwords in the workplace they reused the same one with a minor change.”

As most know, the reusage of passwords is one of the top ways cyber criminals are able to gain access into your credential accounts. So to read that almost half of the surveyed users reuse passwords in the work place, is alarming.

“Many users were clearly relying upon their puny human memory to remember passwords (42% in the office, 35% in their personal lives) rather than something more reliable.” Consequently,  “78% of respondents said that they had had to reset a password in their personal life within the last 90 days (57% said the same for the workplace).”

If you are solely relying on your memory to remember a different password for every platform, studies show you likely forget them and end up having to reset each. Which is why more times than not, users find themselves reusing old passwords or having the same password on multiple platforms.

Password managers are extremely beneficial in not just remembering passwords, but allowing your passwords to be complex and unique for each platform. Password managers, such as LastPass, store complicated and highly secure passwords for different platforms. All you have to do is remember the one individual and strong password for the manager.

Passwords are extremely powerful, but if they are used correctly. Do not let your passwords fail you because you simply use easily remembered passwords.

If you are concerned with the best practices of password security, don’t shy away from asking questions on what you can do. While cyber criminals are continually becoming more powerful, the things users cancontrol, must be taken seriously. Password security is absolutely one of those things.

For more information on how The IT Company can aid you and your company is password security, reach out to us today!