Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Small Business

    Lax Password Security Practices Endanger Consumers

    By
    Nathan Eddy
    -
    June 13, 2016
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      security and passwords

      One in 10 Americans admit to never changing their passwords and just over one-third (38 percent) alter their passwords on an average of every six months, according to a survey by Mail.com.

      One in five use the same password for most or all of their Internet services, and only 23 percent of users protect different services with different passwords, the survey found.

      What’s more, 58 percent of those surveyed rely on their memory and store passwords in their head, while 15 percent write their passwords on a piece of paper. Five percent save passwords in their browser and 9 percent use password management software.

      “There are two main reasons Americans are so negligent when it comes to passwords: first, the sharply increasing number of Internet services that require an authentication with passwords, and second, the missing knowledge on password security,” Martin Wilhelm, public relations manager for Mail.com, told eWEEK. “People choose passwords that are easy to remember because it’s much more comfortable than handling a complex and individual password for a variety of different services. What they don’t have in mind is that they run the risk of losing all their data on the Internet once this password has been spied out by Internet criminals.”

      One-third (33 percent) of respondents said they use birthdays, pet names or simple strings such as “123456” or “qwerty” as passwords.

      “Eventually, only methods that are most commonly used by the mainstream of Internet users will prevail,” Wilhelm said. “That means they have to be very simple and user-friendly. The advantage of passwords is clearly that no other devices are needed for authentication purposes. I can log on to my e-mail account with many different devices around the world as long as they are connected to the Internet.”

      He noted that as more security throughout the Internet becomes even more necessary, alternative authentication methods such as biometry are being researched.

      “Nonetheless, it has to be ensured that providers meet high data protection requirements concerning the storage and use of biometrical data,” he said.

      Wilhelm also said he thinks it is very unlikely that passwords will disappear in the near future, since they have been used for several services on the Internet from the very beginning.

      “A procedure that has been learned by the majority of Internet users over such a long time will not change quickly,” he explained. “However, there is a trend that uses alternative authentication methods simultaneously to passwords—for example the fingerprint recognition on mobile phones. If passwords should be replaced by such methods, it will definitely still take some time.”

      Nathan Eddy
      A graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Nathan was perviously the editor of gaming industry newsletter FierceGameBiz and has written for various consumer and tech publications including Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, CRN, and The Times of London. Currently based in Berlin, he released his first documentary film, The Absent Column, in 2013.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Why Data Security Will Face Even Harsher...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 1, 2020 0
      Who would know more about details of the hacking process than an actual former career hacker? And who wants to understand all they can...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      How Veritas Is Shining a Light Into...

      eWEEK EDITORS - September 25, 2020 0
      Protecting data has always been one of the most important tasks in all of IT, yet as more companies become data companies at the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×