Study: 6 of 10 consumers reuse passwords

Despite frequent reports of hacking attacks and online security breaches, six out of 10 consumers still tend to reuse their passwords, a survey by a US fraud detection vendor showed.

 

PC World reported the survey by CSID showed 54 percent of respondents had only five passwords or fewer while 44 percent changed these once a year or less.

 

“Many businesses don’t fully grasp how consumers’ password habits can impact their security and safety. Our survey results confirm what CSID has long suspected: that consumers tend to practice poor password habits, like reusing the same log-in information across multiple sites, without even realizing that those practices are dangerous,” it quoted CSID CIO Adam Tyler as saying.

 

The survey also found users under 24 years old had the most reckless use of passwords.

 

Also, PC World said the survey showed memorizing passwords could be a concern for more than half of respondents.

 

It said the survey found most passwords are between eight and 10 characters, although not all sites allow longer or unlimited-length passwords.

 

Of the respondents interviewed in the survey, 21 percent had experienced an online account compromise.

 

“The survey makes it clear that businesses can’t rely on consumers to exercise secure password practices, and need to understand the potential impact of this behavior and how to mitigate risk,” Tyler said.

 

PC World said the survey interviewed 1,200 US adults, “but it’s possible to imagine that the results would have been similar had larger numbers been involved or the questions asked in other countries.”

 

“Past evidence suggests that password insecurity is an international issue that won’t go away,” it added.

 

On the other hand, PC World said the survey did not address the possibility of long and unique passwords being vulnerable if they are entered on a PC compromised by keylogging malware.

 

“For that reason, two-factor authentication is now probably a basic minimum for anyone with even a modest store of passwords,” it said. — TJD, GMA News