- Brits put their accounts at risk by reusing passwords
- A single breach could compromise all accounts
- Only 1 in 5 uses a unique password for each account
For most accounts we use every day, a password is the only thing protecting them.
But if you use one password on all your accounts, a single data breach could compromise each and every account.
A new survey has found that more than six million Brits could use a single password to protect all their accounts, across social media, banking and work.
A unique 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 use a unique password for each account. If applied to the UK population as a whole, this means that up to 80% of the population are reusing passwords on their accounts.
Just under 60% trust six or fewer passwords, and more than 12% of respondents said they use a single password across all their accounts.
For many people in the UK, a single password breach could trigger a cascade of account breaches and takeovers. But password management is not that difficult. On iPhones, the free Passwords app can generate, store, and autofill 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, dark web monitoring 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 using a unique password for each account, which consists of a random combination of numbers and letters of at least 12 characters, with a special character included.
The best password manager for every budget
