New Study Says More Than 50% Of Passwords Are Reused And Put User Data At Risk

While the thought process behind a single password on the web may not mean a lot to you, a new report shares how billions are at risk of having their data exposed.

Around the world, more than 50% of passwords being utilized end up exposing both personal data and corporate data. Moreover, they’re putting a lot of people at risk in this manner, as confirmed by a new study.

The report by Dashlane claims to have analyzed millions of data points that were anonymous and then finally came up with this form of conclusion. You see, the theme of password health is hardly talked about. And that’s why the results are astounding to both users and companies.

On average, the health score of passwords was found to be in decline and had to be issued warnings linked to significant improvements required. This would in turn give a hint that it’s old, weak, or compromised in some way, shape, or form.

The fact that this particular report saw more than half of the passwords get reused means average citizens in the country have a good 70 to 80 accounts on the web so anything compromised may cause hundreds of accounts to get hacked.

Seeing 20% of the passwords be compromised is another point worth pondering. Dashlane has really shocked users in that regard as some people have as many as 240 accounts on the web.

And since a password is your entry link into a particular enterprise’s world of cybersecurity, you’re bound to be affected by cyber breaches too. As studies prove, the majority of breaches in the world of cybersecurity end up taking place due to a user’s sensitive credentials being stolen.

The firm has even issued a warning in this regard and how so many accounts per person tend to grow online. This means passwords really need to be improved if cybersecurity is to be maintained.

So what’s the solution? How can one really protect themselves from such a huge threat out there? Well, for starters, tech experts and security analysts feel that if you’re sitting down and remembering your password, it’s weak.

The idea is to use the most unique passwords out there that even the owner has difficulty remembering or pronouncing. Hence, if an account ends up getting breached, you’ll always have one added layer of protection in place.

Another common practice to better your security is to make use of compartments to encase user information. Those having several accounts on social media need to utilize particular email IDs in those situations.

Cybernews experts say they’re also sharing with the world a list of the most overused passwords out there. These are so common that you’ll end up having your security breached with time and with ease.

Hence those people noticing that their passwords have some major issues can really utilize tools such as Data Leak Checkers. This puts into light a user’s email ID and other forms of sensitive data that may have been exposed through such data breach means. Moreover, if you’d like to avoid such scenarios in the first place, well, how about using a password manager and ridding the stress.

Read next: Companies Are Avoiding Open Source Software Citing Security Concerns
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World