- In Yubico’s latest annual report, 47% of Gen Z and 46% of Millennials say their passwords have been hacked.
- But these are also the demographics expected to be most aware and eager to adopt hardware security keys.
- 73% of Gen Z are also concerned about the rise of AI in cyberattacks
Gen Z and millennials are just as at risk of password breaches as anyone else, according to a new report from Yubico.
Its survey found that 47% of Gen Z and 46% of millennials said their social media account passwords had been hacked at some point, findings that seem at odds with 63% of respondents on a sample of 20,000 people saying they felt safe. cybersecurity measures in place to protect their personal information.
Yet the report also found that 70% of respondents said they had been the victim of a cyberattack in the past twelve months, a sign of overconfidence and a lack of cybersecurity education. 40% of respondents said they had not received any cybersecurity training at work.
Gen Z and Millennial Attitudes toward Workplace Cybersecurity
Things are made worse when you consider that almost half (49%) of those surveyed said they were more concerned about their personal data than that of their business or workplace, demonstrating that businesses and owners companies cannot consider IT and cybersecurity knowledge as an innate skill among younger generations. when considering the resilience of their own digital infrastructure.
It also seems absurd to suggest that younger generations are more likely to adopt and more easily understand the implications of new technologies, when 58% of respondents expressed concern about the continued “sophisticated” role of technology. AI in cyberattacks.
Yubico’s take on authentication methods
The main focus of the report appears to be to advocate for alternative authentication methods in the workplace, with only 21% of workers reporting using a mobile phone. authentication app. Yubico’s report notes that workers may have valid reasons for not using this method, such as not wanting to use a personal smartphone for work or simply not having one.
To this end, Yubico advocates passwordless MFA solutions, such as software access keys (which have wide support in the technology industry), as well as physical security keys.
“In addition to being highly secure, passwords greatly simplify the user experience,” noted Derek Hanson, vice president of standards and alliances at Yubico.
“By removing the need for users to remember complex passwords, it reduces the friction associated with logging in and eliminates the frustration of forgotten passwords. This can lead to increased user satisfaction and productivity, especially in enterprise environments where employees are often juggling multiple accounts and passwords.
“When we look at current password options, those tied to device security keys provide the highest level of phishing resistance and meet the highest security standards. »
The report concludes by suggesting “adopting [technology] as hardware security keys and passwords will undoubtedly play a central role in safeguarding our digital identities and securing the systems and services we rely on every day,” a utopian notion that is nicely complemented by the revelation that 39% of respondents believe that a standard username and password combination is the most secure authentication available.
