Consumers aware of security concerns, but not doing much to change password habits

The recent remote work trend caused by the pandemic has increased password security risks of both companies and individuals. Despite this fact, Americans continue to put personal life and businesses at risk by using the same passwords for both home and work, according to a survey conducted by PeopleFish.

The survey asked respondents about password habits in both their personal and work life.

Key findings

• Only 33% of Baby Boomers, and 28% of all consumers, use different passwords for everything.
• 8% of consumers never change their passwords, and 31% only change their password when they are notified of a security problem.
• Generation Z (the youngest consumers) are least security-focused, least likely to change passwords, and most likely to have fallen victim to scams most recently.
• 23% of consumers are not familiar with 2-Factor Authentication, and only 21% of all consumers take advantage of 2FA when available.
• 20% of all consumers do not know what happens to their accounts if they die unexpectedly.

“We are all aware that many consumers do not take the proper security precautions with their passwords, but the research is still a bit of an eye-opener,” said a spokesperson for ScoreSense. “The current remote work trend has only increased the need for secure password habits for both individuals and businesses.”

You should probably change your password habits

Overall, consumers are aware of the security concerns, but that has not done much to change their behavior or password habits. Based on survey responses, both men and younger consumers take too many chances with their accounts. Employers need more security training on the basics of password choice and the technologies available to protect accounts better.