- Brits put their accounts at risk by reusing passwords
- A single leak could compromise all accounts
- Only 1 in 5 people use a unique password for each account
For most accounts we use every day, a password is the only thing that protects them.
But if you use a single password for all your accounts, a single data breach could put every account at risk.
A new survey reveals more than six million Brits could use a single password to protect all their accounts – on social media, at banks and at work.
A single point of protection
The survey, conducted by hybrid cloud services provider DTP Group, found that of its sample of 1,000 people, only 1 in 5 people use a unique password for each account. If we apply this to the entire UK population, this means that up to 80% of the population reuse passwords on their accounts.
Just under 60% use six or fewer passwords, and more than 12% of respondents said they use a single password for all their accounts.
For many people in the UK, a single password leak could cause a cascade of account breaches and theft. But password management is not that difficult. On iPhones, the free Passwords app can generate, store, and auto-fill passwords quickly and securely. Google Password Manager is available on Android.
Alternatively, the best password managers do exactly the same thing and often come with other useful tools such as auditing for compromised or reused passwords, monitoring the dark web to see if your data has been leaked online, and even a VPN to keep your internet traffic encrypted.
But if you don’t want to pay and aren’t a fan of the options included on iPhone or Android, there are plenty of free password managers to choose from.
Cybersecurity experts recommend that you use a unique password for each account, made up of a random mix of numbers and letters of at least 12 characters, with one special character included.
The best password manager for every budget
