Password Changes and Security Are Failing in the Gem State

Passwords are meant to give everyone a sense of security. It is important to feel like your phone is protected from others, your computer and browsing history are secure, and you are keeping others from accessing your bank account or personal information. Feeling secure is supposed to put one at ease, but when passwords don't do their job and the security of them fails, it makes most uneasy and lacks trust in the system. Many Americans have lost faith in online security and passwords due to bad experiences and being hacked, and in Idaho, the system seems to be failing far too many people.

Password Security in Idaho

Passwords are meant to help Idahoans feel safe, but a recent study from hostingadvice.com claims otherwise and that password security is failing. According to the survey, 43 percent of Americans polled claim to have had a password hacked. With so many different sites, apps, and emails asking for passwords, it is easy to forget which password belongs to which account, and 65 percent of those polled admitted to forgetting their passwords. On average, Americans have 17 passwords, which is too many. When it comes to trying to remember all of them, 56 percent rely on memory, 55 percent rely on a password manager, 29 percent have it written down somewhere, and 24 percent have it on a digital document, hopefully, that isn't password protected. 

Password Security Failing in Idaho

In a shockingly low result, of those surveyed, only 60 percent said they feel that their passwords are secure. Of those 17 passwords that most have, on average at least two of them have been hacked, with four having been compromised. When it comes to handling these passwords, 33 percent admit to changing their passwords for the compromised ones, which seems like a low number of people. If you are annoyed by having to reset your password or by all the requirements to create one, you are not alone as 69 percent admitted to being annoyed by all the requirements. The main reasons for changing passwords are not due to being hacked though, with 34 percent claiming it is because they are required to by the website, 26 percent do it because they forgot their password, 26 percent because it is regular security practice, and only 14 percent because the password was compromised. 

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The next time you need to change your password, make sure to keep it in a safe place so you don't forget it, put some thought into it, and hopefully it will make you feel secure, even if annoyed at the process of creating it. To see the full study, make sure to click the link in the second paragraph above.