The Members Forum

Safe password practices are often the only thing standing between you and identity theft, loss of privacy, and even an empty bank account. Too bad you're not following them. At least, the chances are good that you aren't, according to a survey from security company Webroot.

Webroot surveyed 2,500 people in the U.S., the U.K., and Australia about their password habits, and the results should worry everyone but cybercriminals—who should be delighted. Criminals will also be pleased to hear that people tend to labor under a false sense of security. Fifty percent reported that their passwords were very or extremely secure, but according to the survey:

• 41 percent have shared passwords with at least one other person in the past year.
• 90 percent don't ensure that they never use the same password on multiple accounts.
• 86 percent don't check that they're on a secure connection when accessing sensitive information on unfamiliar computers.
• 14 percent never change their banking password.
• 20 percent have used a significant date (such as a birthday) or a pet's name in their passwords.
• 84 percent fail to use passwords more than ten characters long.

The findings are even more disturbing among young people. The common wisdom that young people are more tech savvy is apparently trumped by the truism that they're more reckless—at least according to Webroot's findings. Webroot found that among 18 to 29 year-olds:

12 percent have shared a password in a text message (vs. 4 percent overall).30 percent logged into a site requiring a password over public Wi-Fi (vs. 21 percent overall).54 percent have shared passwords with one or more people in the past year (vs. 41 percent overall).

For tips on how to how to do passwords right, read PCMag's Password Protection: How to Create Strong Passwords.

PCMag has the details HERE!