Keeper Security has released
the results of its latest study, The Keeper Password Management Report:
Unifying Perception with Reality. Assessing the password habits of over
8,000 individuals across the US, UK, France and Germany, the report reveals
that 3 in 4 (75%) people globally don't adhere to widely-accepted
password best practices, with a
majority (64%) either using weak passwords or repeat variations of passwords to
protect their online accounts. More than a third of people also admitted to
feeling overwhelmed when it came to taking action to improve their
cybersecurity; an indication that these feelings might be putting people at
greater risk of being hacked.
"In order to analyze
people's personal cybersecurity hygiene, we asked which animal they would
identify with in regard to their cybersecurity behaviors," said Darren
Guccione, CEO and Co-founder of Keeper Security. "With over one in four people
describing themselves either as an ostrich burying their head in the sand,
careless as a bull in a china shop or a possum paralyzed with fear, the
industry clearly still has much work to do to get more people comfortable with
cybersecurity and better protected as a result."
According to Verizon's
annual Data Breach Index Report, up to 80% of successful data breaches are the
result of compromised login credentials. However, according to
Keeper's study, 57% claim they watch their passwords ‘like a hawk' or say
they're like a ‘lion who confidently takes charge.' Of the former, 40% had no
idea whether their passwords had been breached, suggesting a large number of those surveyed are grossly
overestimating their cyber-savvy or are wilfully ignoring password hygiene
advice. Additionally, only 7% of
respondents globally recognized password managers as the best way to achieve
personal cybersecurity.
"Password management does not need to be complex,
overwhelming or difficult to understand even with a large number of digital
accounts to secure," said Craig Lurey, CTO and Co-founder of Keeper Security.
"Using a password manager is an ideal way for anyone to protect themself. Along
with creating and storing strong and unique passwords for all digital accounts,
a password manager can offer protection against phishing attacks and malicious
links, because it will not fill credentials if the URL doesn't match what's in
the user's vault. A password manager can also be paired with dark web
monitoring so users can stay abreast of all account information and take action
immediately, if credentials are compromised."
Other significant statistics
in the report include:
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30% of people still use simple passwords to protect their digital accounts,
while 34% admit to repeating variations of the same password.
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39% of respondents are unaware of whether they've been breached and 32% do
not know whether their passwords are available on the dark web.
-
64% of respondents
are not confident that they are managing their passwords well.
-
41% of respondents
said cybersecurity is too difficult to understand.
-
29% of Baby Boomers
use strong and unique passwords for every account, compared to only 20% of Gen
Z respondents, of which 40% found cybersecurity overwhelming - thehighest
of all the age groups.
-
Men are more
confident than women about password security - 39% of men vs. 31% of women.
For the full report, please visit: https://www.keepersecurity.com/password-management-report-unifying-perception-with-reality/