Password laziness: security flaws despite better knowledge
A study by the password safe provider LastPass shows there is plenty of room for improvement in terms of password security: 64 percent of those surveyed use passwords several times, and only half would change their password after a security incident. And often despite knowing better.
Lab42 market researchers, on behalf of password safe provider LastPass, determined the current state of password behavior in the new era of remote working. 3,750 business professionals in various industries across the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Singapore and India were surveyed about their feelings and behaviors related to online security. The result of the “Psychology of Passwords 2022” study: A significant increase in the time spent online with persistently poor password behavior and cognitive dissonance.
Even awareness does not lead to action
65 percent of respondents said they had received some form of cybersecurity training. The majority of them (79 percent) also found this training to be effective, but only 31 percent of those trained stopped reusing passwords. Only 25 percent of those trained have started using a password manager.
Furthermore, 89 percent of respondents agreed that reusing the same or a different password poses a risk, but only 12 percent said they use different passwords for different accesses. Even more shocking: Even after a security incident, only half of those surveyed would change their password.
No generation is immune to password breaches
Gen Z – born between 1997 and 2010 – are confident when it comes to password management – but they are also the biggest contributor to poor password hygiene. While Gen Z are also more likely to recognize that using the same or similar password for multiple logins poses a risk, they use a variation of a single password 69 percent of the time, while Millennials — those born between 1981 and 1996 — do so 66 percent of cases do.
Password security needs improvement
As the Psychology of Passwords 2022 study shows, password security is in dire need of improvement. Password managers such as LastPass, who commissioned the study, can simplify the handling of passwords. A switch means some effort for a short time, but in the long term users gain in comfort: The tools usually fill in password fields automatically and enable the creation of complex and unique passwords without much thought – Password laziness: security flaws despite better knowledge.
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In the future, the password problem could perhaps even be eliminated entirely: passwords have long since ceased to be secure, but the future of digital authentication is still uncertain. (centron reported)
