- A third use the same password for different services
- But 8 out of 10 pay attention to strong passwords when creating them
- Two-factor authentication: Half use it at least for individual online services
Mishandling passwords still makes life easy for cybercriminals.
Around a third (35 percent) of internet users use the same password for different online services. That's even more than a year ago, when the proportion was 29 percent.
This is the result of a current survey commissioned by the digital association Bitkom among 1,014 people in Germany aged 16 and over who use the Internet.
“Convenience can also be dangerous in the digital world. If an online service is hacked and the user's access data falls into the wrong hands, cybercriminals can gain access to different services if the same password is used," says Simran Mann, IT security expert at the digital association Bitkom. “A separate, secure password should be created for each online offer.”
In principle, knowledge about the importance of secure passwords is now widespread.
83 percent say they pay attention to a mix of letters, numbers and special characters when creating a password. That is more than last year with 75 percent. 31 percent change passwords regularly (2021: 38 percent). A fifth (20 percent) use a password generator or a password manager to create and manage passwords (2021: 18 percent), twice as many (43 percent) write down passwords on pieces of paper. 23 percent say they often have to create new passwords because they have forgotten their old ones. And 11 percent have passwords of different strengths for different online services (2021: 7 percent).
“The email account certainly needs better protection than access to a private hobby discussion forum,” says Mann. “Wherever possible, users should use two-factor authentication to strengthen password protection.”
Around half (47 percent, 2021: 37 percent) use two-factor authentication for online services. After entering the password, a second code must be entered, which is sent, for example, via email or a short message to the cell phone or created using a special app on the smartphone. 11 percent say they use two-factor authentication for all services that offer it, while 36 percent only use it for selected online offers.
Note on methodology: The information is based on a survey that Bitkom Research conducted on behalf of the digital association Bitkom. 1,014 people aged 16 and over in Germany who use the Internet were surveyed by telephone. The survey is representative. The question was “Which of the following statements apply to you when creating passwords for your online services, such as emails, social networks or accounts when shopping online?” and “Some online services offer the option of log in using two-factor authentication. An additional registration confirmation is requested, for example a password and an additional code that is sent to the smartphone. Do you use two-factor authentication for at least some of your online services?”
Source: Bitkom
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Notes:
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