You’d Be Surprised How Easy Most Passwords are to Guess

You might wonder how it is possible that people can guess the passwords of others, but it turns out that it’s a bit easier than you might at first think. According to a new study, not only has a significant portion of the population tried to guess someone else’s password, but even more of them are successful in doing so. How can this be, and what can we learn from this trend?

Considering the fact that many people already have poor password hygiene and many users actively share passwords for accounts like video, music, or other media streaming services, it’s unsurprising that many people find their accounts vulnerable to others guessing their passwords. According to a study from digital identity firm Beyond Identity, the average user will share three of their passwords with others, which is a pretty shocking statistic, to say the least.

Other notable statistics from the study include the following:

• People who share online banking credentials with others: 25.7%
• People who share video streaming passwords: 50.1%
• People who try to guess romantic partners’ passwords: 51.6%
• People who try to guess their child’s passwords: 24.6%
• People who try to guess their coworkers’ passwords: 22%
• People who try to guess their ex-partner or boss’s passwords: 19.9%
• People who try to guess email passwords: 43.7%
• People who try to guess phone passwords: 32.6%

Many folks attempt to use information known about others to guess their passwords, and some have even gone to social media, hoping that oversharers will provide enough information to furnish a password. The most notable statistic of the bunch, however, is that nearly three-in-four users were able to accurately guess someone else’s password. What does this say about the security of such a password? If it can be guessed so easily, then perhaps the solution is that we need more than simple passwords to remain secure and ensure our account privacy moving forward.

k_Street Consulting, LLC recommends utilizing multi-factor authentication whenever possible to secure your organization’s accounts. After all, who’s to say that the password one of your employees is using is not the same as the one they use to access their Netflix account, which is shared with their entire extended family? Multi-factor authentication is beneficial in that it provides an additional layer of security that only someone connected to your organization can match. In addition to the password, you might have a biometric like a face scan, iris scan, or fingerprint match, or a secondary credential that is sent to a smartphone or other device.

It is a best practice at this point to implement as many layers of security as possible for your business’ network and sensitive data. With this in mind, how secure is your organization’s information and data? Could you be doing more to secure your network? Find out today by contacting k_Street Consulting, LLC at (202) 640-2737.