Passwords play a critical role in preventing unauthorized account access. Unfortunately, the Google-Harris Poll 2019 password survey showed that many Americans have poor password practices. The survey’s highlights included:
24% of respondents use common passwords such as “abc123,” “Iloveyou,” and “Qwerty”
59% of respondents integrate easy-to-guess personal information (e.g., birthdays) in their passwords
22% of respondents use their own name as part of their password for at least one account
43% of respondents share their passwords with other people
66% of respondents used the same passwords across multiple accounts (e.g., online banking, email, and social media networks)
55% of respondents did not change their password after a breach
Given that the average American has about 200 accounts that require passwords, it’s no wonder people resort to using weak passwords that are easy to remember or reusing passwords for several accounts.