Most
Americans Put Themselves at Risk by Using a Universal Password, According to
Protecteer Survey
BEDFORD, N.H.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--February 04, 2008-- 63% admit to using
the same password or a variation of it for all or most of their online accounts.
While Internet users assume this high security risk knowingly, results from a
recent online survey representative of the U.S. population indicate that
password security is nevertheless a very important issue to them.
"People have been told over and over not to use the same password for
multiple accounts, yet our survey shows they're not listening," said Ami
Grynberg, CEO of Protecteer. "We believe this is because managing a different
password for every account has been inconvenient up to this point."
"Password managers, which safely and securely save and fill in password
information, are an obvious solution to this problem--and many of them, such as
SignupShield, are available for free or a nominal price; however, we found that
over 75% of people were unfamiliar with any form of password management."
Give the People What They Want
When asked to rate the features they would want most from a hypothetical
program that managed their passwords, the majority of respondents indicated
"secure access to online accounts" and "saving time by remembering login
information" as their top two choices with security leading convenience by 2:1.
"While convenience definitely has a large affect on consumer decision-making,
we're not surprised to see that consumers identify even more strongly with the
issue of security," added Grynberg.
Phishing and online fraud are two of the most costly security threats today,
each accounting for billions of dollars in losses for businesses and individuals
each year. Both are the result of compromised passwords that are stolen and
exploited.
"Password protection becomes increasingly important as more and more of
people's lives move online," said Grynberg. "Whether it's banking, shopping,
social networking, or e-mail, all of these online accounts require a password,
and knowledge of that password is often the only way a website can tell the
difference between the you and someone who wants to steal your money, identity
or information."
"If people want to start taking steps to ensure the integrity of their online
accounts, the easiest way is by protecting one of the most simple and effective
forms of security: the password."
See how a password manager fights fraud at www.protecteer.com/security.
Survey Results & Security Tips
STAT #1: 63% use the same password or a variation of it for all or most of
their online accounts.
- 36.7% use a variation of a familiar password for most of their
online
accounts
- 22.9% use the same password for most of their online accounts
- 3.5% use the same password for all their of my online accounts
TIP: "Make your passwords 8 characters or longer. Each character you add
beyond that makes the password much harder to crack. Also, add complexity by
using upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols. If possible, use a
random password generator like the one on SignupShield to produce a robust
password, instantly." - Ami Grynberg
STAT #2: Consumers value security and convenience most when it comes to
passwords, with security trumping convenience 2:1.
- 42% rated "secure access to online accounts, including banking
and
other sensitive sites," as the most important feature they would
want to see
in a program that managed their passwords.
- 24% rated "saving time by remembering login information" as the
second
most important feature that they would want to see in a program
that managed
their passwords.
TIP: "If you access sensitive accounts online, such as financial websites,
don't compromise on the quality of your password manager. Be sure that it can
not only handle the login process, which may involve multi-step procedures, but
also make sure that it can tell the difference between an authentic webpage and
a fraudulent one. You don't want to accidentally submit your password data to a
third-party that can exploit that information." - Ami Grynberg
STAT #3: Nearly half of all respondents have over 5 online accounts.
- 21.3% have between 6-10 online accounts
- 14.9% have between 11-20 online accounts
- 13% have more than 20 online accounts
TIP: "Even if you have only a few accounts, consider using a password manager
to make sure you're securing access to them and keeping your data safe. Also,
while most web browsers provide a free, basic password manager, better, more
robust password managers are available at no cost to users managing up to 10
passwords. For example, a fully-functional, free version of SignupShield
Passwords comes pre-loaded on every new SanDisk USB drive on the market, and is
also available for download at www.signupshield.com." - Ami Grynberg
For More Information
For more information on this survey or to contact Protecteer for additional
tips on enhancing password security, please contact Jonathan Lai at
jlai@bespokencomm.com.
Also, visit www.Protecteer.com.
About the Survey
This survey was conducted by TNS on the Online Express Omnibus among 1,000
adults age 18+. The survey was sponsored by Protecteer.
About Protecteer & SignupShield
Protecteer is a New Hampshire company dedicated to creating advanced
technologies that help users manage and protect information they submit to web
sites. Protecteer develops the award-winning password manager, SignupShield.
SignupShield is the most popular and advanced password manager on the
consumer market, with over 18 million copies shipped. It is the only password
manager that can handle multi-step login procedures, offering secure password
management and protection from key-logging, phishing and online fraud.
SignupShield is a trademark of Protecteer, LLC.
CONTACT: Media:
Bespoken Communications
Jonathan Lai, 415-218-4209
jlai@bespokencomm.com
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