Password sharing habits prioritize convenience over security

A new survey by LastPass on the password sharing habits of UK consumers reveals they favour convenience over security when it comes to sharing passwords. 55 per cent of UK consumers jeopardise their financial information by sharing with others, despite 75 per cent of respondents thinking sharing passwords is dangerous.

Of the 2000 UK consumers surveyed, 96 per cent admitted to sharing up to 6 passwords with others. Spouses and partners come out on top as the most trustworthy relations (66 per cent) followed by children (24 per cent) or a friend (17 per cent). Neighbours are trusted least with passwords, with 0.5 per cent of respondents admitting to sharing with them.

63 per cent of respondents either haven’t changed their password since sharing it, or are unlikely to change it, leaving their personal data wide open to being compromised should personal relationships unravel.

A complacency towards using different passwords for different accounts was also revealed. 79 per cent of people use the same or similar passwords across some or all of their accounts, from Netflix to utilities, WiFi, social media and others.

Key findings

The most common way to share a password is verbally. 72 per cent admitted to sharing passwords verbally and only 10 per cent prefer to write it on paper.

Business password sharing is common. Almost half of the respondents are more likely to share their work passwords than personal passwords. According to the survey, 8 per cent of the respondents share their business passwords, which is classified as any password associated with their job’s workplace.

Giving someone remote access to an account is the biggest reason respondents say they share personal passwords. 38 percent of respondents share passwords to give someone remote access and 31 percent of respondents also say they share passwords in case of an emergency.