eBook
State of Identity Security – Our Evolving Report
Credential Carelessness
Introduction
SECUREAUTH CONDUCTED the research using an online survey among 2,000 general population consumers in the U.S. Data. With nearly 50% of survey respondents currently in the U.S. workforce, the survey provides an objective data set with respect to the security and privacy habits consumers apply in both their personal and professional lives.
Read on to see how a robust Access Management solution including Multifactor Authentication (MFA) with risk analysis via Adaptive Authentication integrates seamlessly with a Zero Trust model to secure the enterprise.
Bad Password Habits
No matter how much cyber experts preach, bad password habits are always going to be a large problem for our personal and work lives
Among those who are using the same password for more than one account, most are using it across 3-7 accounts (62%) — and 10% say they are using the same password across 10+ accounts.
The blurred lines between work and personal passwords
44%
of people have admitted to using their personal passwords at work
Music Streaming
TV & Movie Streaming
Why? Because people are predictable due to truly unique passwords being a headache to remember.
In the workplace,
management is even worse than junior staff at password hygiene. Only 38% of those in leadership positions say their work passwords are unique.
It’s important to remember, sharing is NOT caring when it comes to passwords
Streaming service accounts have the most shared passwords or login credentials, followed by gaming accounts and mobile phone passwords. The type of account with the least shared credentials/passwords are work email accounts, but even still, 34% have shared their work email password.
| Account Type | Spouse/Partner | Boyfriend/Girlfriend | Parents | Friends | Co-workers | Never Shared |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phone passcode | 35% | 11% | 8% | 9% | 3% | 41% |
| Phone fingerprint or face ID | 12% | 8% | 5% | 5% | 1% | 46% |
| Social Media | 22% | 8% | 4% | 8% | 2% | 55% |
| Banking | 41% | 5% | 9% | 4% | 2% | 56% |
| Personal Email | 36% | 6% | 7% | 9% | 4% | 59% |
| Work Email | 15% | 5% | 5% | 5% | 6% | 66% |
Nearly twice as many people will share their bank account password with their spouse (41%) as their social media password (22%)
Ways consumers are sharing their passwords
Most consumers are sharing passwords in ways that are easily hacked
A text message is the most common way in which people share a password, with 20% of consumers saying they share a password this way.
The Future of Identity
The future of identity lies in biometrics, but more education must be done to increase appetite and willingness among average consumers.
Currently, fewer than 1 in 3 consumers
say they are comfortable sharing various forms of their biometric data with either a company they purchase goods and services from, or the government.
Despite high levels of discomfort when specifically asked about biometrics, data shows they’re already using biometrics in multiple contexts
51%
of consumers are already using biometrics
Consumers are willing to share their biometric data to save time
13% will share to save 30 sec or less.
12% will share to save 5 min.
10% will share to save 10 -30 min.
The SecureAuth Approach
Organizations no longer need to compromise security for ease of use. SecureAuth enables a layered approach to access management enabling the strongest security without disrupting users. The SecureAuth Identity Platform is the best solution to ensure people attempting to access your valuable resources are, in fact, who they say they are, protecting against cyber criminals with malicious intent.
CISO & Chief Evangelist, SecureAuth