Password Statistics That Will Make You Change Your Bad Password Habits

Passwords are required for all online accounts to secure their data and information. However, many people do not take their responsibility seriously, resulting in data breaches for 30% of internet users.

37% of internet users say they have to request a password change once a month on at least one website due to forgetfulness; this shows that even with the present threat of possible information breaches, many users still have bad habits in handling their passwords.

This article will give you valuable insights into different password habits affecting your account's security.

Editor's Choice 

•  80% of hacking breaches are related to password issues.
• Over half of all workers recycle passwords between their professional and personal accounts.
• The same password is used for all of a person's accounts by 13% of Americans.
• The most common password is 123456, used by at least 23 million accounts.
• 59% of Americans use their name or birthday in their password.
•  17% of Americans have guessed someone's password correctly.
•  69% of employees share passwords with colleagues.
•  Poor passwords cause 81% of company data breaches.
•  65% of people reuse passwords. 
• The strongest password type has 12 characters, one uppercase letter, a number, and a symbol.

An Overview of Password Habit Statistics

In this day and age, where passwords are created to secure people's data and information, people have different ways of creating and keeping them. Some take creating passwords seriously, but it wastes time and energy for others.

As proof, 83% of internet users have weak passwords - this may be as easy as 123456, their name, or sometimes their birthdates. To further show, here's a quick recap of data gathered by the Harris Poll regarding people's password preferences:

• 33% use a pet's name
• 22% use their name
• 15% use a spouse or partner's name
• 14% use their children's names

However, it does not end here. There are more password habits statistics in this article everyone must know.

Password Habit Statistics

People with multiple accounts registered on various devices tend to choose simple passwords they can easily remember. For instance, 23 million accounts used the most common password, 123456. Needless to say, some people with multiple accounts use one single password to protect their data and information. 

There are more interesting password habit statistics that you should know about. These include:

1. 52% use the same password for multiple (but not all) accounts.

(Harris Poll)

50% of internet users share passwords. Even for some accounts, using a single password is risky. For instance, if someone gets your online account password, they may also get your other passwords. Create unique passwords for each account to secure them.

2. 35% of people don't use the same password twice.

(Google)

Not even half of Americans use a different password for all accounts. This only means more than half of the population rely on the same password for multiple accounts and tend to be victims of hackers. The advantage of having different passwords is the lesser chance for unauthorized groups to access them.

3. One-fifth of internet users (13%) always use the same password.

(LastPass)

Though the percentage is low, many people still use the same password for all their accounts when translated into figures. This is far riskier than those who are part of the 52% since knowing a single password provides access to your accounts, hence your information and data.

4. The Harris Poll shows 43% of internet users have shared their password with someone else.

(Google)

Almost half of Google respondents reported having divulged a password at some point. 57% of internet users shared theirs with a significant other, which means users are more likely to give their password to someone they trust. 

However, only 11% change their password after a breakup; this could explain why 10 percent of survey participants have the password of an ex-partner, former roommate, or colleague in California.

5. Some users have shared their passwords with someone else.

(Harris Poll)

A survey conducted by the Harris Poll reflected that many users had shared their passwords with other persons. 22% of the respondents said that they shared their password for a TV or movie streaming service. 

In comparison, 20% admitted that they had shared their email account password, and 17% had shared their social media account password. This means that several internet users do not keep their passwords to themselves.

6. 17% have shared the passwords of their online shopping accounts

(Harris Poll, Statista)

Online shopping is a trend nowadays. Many prefer to shop on eBay, Amazon, and other online platforms. When other people get access to your online shopping accounts, they may place orders just before you know it. According to a study, 75% of consumers who were victims of online purchase scams worldwide lost money in 2021.

Reused Password Statistics 

Creating multiple passwords for different accounts is not easy. The owner must have multiple passwords and never forget one, which is why many people reuse the same combination.

Here are reused password statistics showing how this has become a constant practice to many:

7. 52% of Americans use the same password for multiple (but not all) accounts.

(Pew Research Center)

Most Americans prefer to reuse the same password since they find it convenient. Out of the 52% who reuse the same password, only 66% of them change their password once they receive a login alert – this makes other accounts vulnerable to threats such as hacking.

8. 13% of Americans use the same password across all of their accounts.

(Harris Poll)

One in every ten Americans uses the same password for all their accounts which is dangerous since someone who intends to hack your account can have a greater chance of successfully accessing your personal information. A Google poll found that 1 in 8 US adults used the same password for their online accounts.

9. Only 35% of Americans don't reuse passwords.

(Zippia)

Adding up the data of Americans who use the same password across all their accounts to those who use the same passwords to some accounts will reveal that 65% of Americans have this terrible habit - this means that only one in every three Americans does not reuse passwords.

Weak Password Statistics

A weak password is a character combination that is easy for friends, bad actors, or password-hacking software to guess. While your passwords may follow credential strength best practices, other factors, such as reuse, can still make them vulnerable.

The frequency of using a weak password across the globe allows hackers to get into one's account without permission. Here are some statistics showing how prevalent using weak passwords is:

10. 59% of Americans use their name or birthday in their password.

(Work Smart)

While Americans give much importance to keeping their confidential information, it is still evident that some share their names and birthdays online, with their relatives and friends, and even with their neighbors. This proves that using either information as your password can be considered weak since anybody can easily guess them.

Data shows most Americans use their names or birthdays as their password - this is crucial, most importantly, when someone who knows you intends to enter your accounts.

11. 17% of Americans have guessed someone's password correctly.

(WWpass)

It does not take a Nostradamus to guess someone's weak password. According to research, 17% of the 27% of Americans who have tried to assume someone else's password have got them right - this proves how weak passwords can be dangerous and is never enough to protect your accounts.

12. 57% of people who have been scammed in phishing attacks still haven't changed their password.

(DataProt)

First Contact, an IT support company, showed in their password statistics for 2021 that most internet users who have become victims of phishing attacks keep the same passwords.

Since 57% of these people have yet to change their passwords, they can be more vulnerable to hacking and phishing since the same hackers still have their passwords.

123456 is the most commonly used weak password (Cyber News). Astonishingly, 23 million accounts use 123456 as their password, which means hackers can easily access 23 million accounts. But there are other bad passwords used by others. 

Here are some of the easiest yet worst passwords used by people:

• 123456
• Password
•  12345678
•  Qwerty
• 123456789
• 12345
•  1234
• 111111
• 1234567
•  Dragon

Password Behavior and Opinion Statistics

One of the reasons why Americans prefer to use weak and common passwords is that some of them only feel they are forced to use them. Here's a list of password statistics showing how Americans feel about it:

13. 75% of Americans are frustrated with passwords.

(Harris Poll)

Americans feel frustrated in memorizing and recalling their passwords. The additional security features, such as captcha codes and two-step verification, which are there to secure their accounts better, become a real hassle for them; this reflects the survey conducted by Harris Poll showing that 75% of them are frustrated with passwords.

14. 57% of people prefer a passwordless method for accounts.

( Poneman Institute)

While at present there are up to 70% regularly prefer a passwordless method if there is one, an astounding 91% believe that going passwordless is the future. If given a chance, more than half of users would prefer to have accounts with no passwords.

15. 49% of Americans rely on their memory to manage passwords.

(Bitwarden)

Though lesser compared to the percentage of people who rely on their memory in managing their passwords in the United Kingdom and even the global population with 59% and 55%, respectively, the number of Americans who do the same is still very significant considering that they are almost half of its population.

16. 38.6% of people write their passwords down on a piece of paper.

(Digital Guardian)

While it is safe from hackers to keep your passwords on a clean sheet of paper because it is unlikely for them to go through your stuff at home or your workplace, it is still relatively unsafe because there are risks when other people around can get access to it.

Aside from writing them on paper, 27.7% use a secure password manager, 17.7% reuse the same password from memory, 9.5% keep all their passwords in a file on their computer, and 6.6% store their passwords in Dropbox or a similar storage method.

17. 78% of people have reset at least one password every 90 days because they forgot it.

(HYPR)

It is already not new for many to forget their passwords, even when some people write them down. In a study within 90 days, more than three-fourths of the people needed to reset at least one of their passwords because of forgetting them. 

Workplace Password Statistics

Threats exist on online accounts and even at work. Workplace passwords usually are at higher security risk since they can be accessible to others. To be enlightened further about the necessity of having a solid password for businesses, here are things one needs to note:

18. Employees reuse a password an average of 13 times.

(Security Magazine)

Not having a unique password for every account increases the risk of data breaches, which can put companies in jeopardy. Imagine knowing one of your passwords; that person may try to access other accounts and, if successful, can see all critical and confidential information; this may cause many problems for companies.

19. 69% of employees share passwords with colleagues.

(Keeper Security)

While one may find it okay to share a password with a colleague, you should not forget that by sharing your password, you also share access to your unit or accounts – sometimes, even if you are no longer working together - this may cause substantial security risks for the company.

20. Poor passwords cause 81% of company data breaches.

(Verizon)

Given that one of the primary targets of hackers is not just individuals but most companies, it will be detrimental for most companies if they will experience data breaches. When companies do not invest in creating strong passwords for their accounts, hackers will have more chances of accessing their data and other confidential information.

21. 62% of employees have shared work passwords via text or email.

(Keeper Security)

Many employees share passwords through email and text messages, which only means those who have received them can still save the passwords online or on their phones. Aside from this, 19% used Google Docs to share their passwords.

Stolen Weak Password Statistics

Information breaches can happen if your passwords are stolen. When passwords are weak, it will be easier for cybercriminals to crack them and get into your accounts; this is a security threat since unauthorized individuals may access your data without your consent.

According to Pure Cloud, on average, it only takes a hacker two seconds to crack an 11–character password that only uses numbers. Suppose you throw in some upper and lower-case letters in there. In that case, that number changes, taking the hacker 1 minute to hack into a seven-character password.

Here is more data showing how weak passwords can be prone to stealing:

22. 81% Of Company Data Breaches are Due To Poor Passwords.

(Bank of North Dakota)

Managing worker passwords is a struggle for most businesses in the US and worldwide. Maintaining healthy password security is costly. According to the recent Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, over 70% of employees reuse passwords at work. The report finds that "81% of hacking-related breaches leveraged either stolen and/or weak passwords.

23. Nearly 20% of passwords are compromised due to cracking.

(Dashlane)

According to a report by Dashlane, a private firm, an American has an average of 70-80 online accounts; this means one cracked password may cause multiple accounts.

24. 30% of the Users Have Experienced Security Breaches Due to Weak Passwords.

(Goodfirms)

In a survey conducted by Goodfirm in 2021, 30% of the responders said that they had experienced security breaches because of assigning weak passwords to their accounts.

Weak passwords are the category of passwords that are easy to guess and decrypt, like the most commonly used passwords. These passwords can be cracked within a second

Hence, a strong password is a must if you want to secure your accounts.

Password Manager Market Size

A password manager is an online tool to save passwords securely. It's the only way to create unique passwords for all your accounts, remember them, and have them typed for you online.

Presently, many prefer to use password managers to avoid forgetting their passwords and being cracked by unauthorized individuals. With the aid of this tool, you do not need to remember your passwords or write them down on a piece of paper.

Here are facts about password managers and how the market responds to them:

25. The global password management market size was valued at $2.05 billion in 2022.

(Fortune Business Insights)

With its high demand in the market, password management gained more than $2 billion in 2022. It is also projected to grow from $2.35 billion this year to $7.13 billion in 2030.

This shows how people and enterprises recognize the importance of keeping their passwords safe without necessarily relying on memory or a piece of paper.

26. 45 million Americans use password managers to protect their credentials online.

(Security)

Millions of Americans rely on password managers, so they will not need to memorize their passwords when logging on to multiple devices. This shows how password managers can be convenient for most people who depend on them.

Aside from individuals, businesses engage in using password managers for their employee logins and other secured accounts.

Final Thoughts

A password is a security mechanism that prevents unauthorized access to your information, data, and other items. It is the equivalent of a key to a lock that keeps your possessions safe, so it's essential to take it seriously. 

Unfortunately, the above statistics show that people are not taking it seriously. If you don’t want to be a victim of cyberattacks or have your data compromised, it's best to improve your password usage habits.