LONDON, May 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — On average, a single internet user has 168 passwords for personal accounts, reveals the latest survey by NordPass. This marks a drastic 68% increase from the previous time researchers explored this topic amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic back in 2020.

Previously, NordPass conducted this survey twice. In February 2020, it revealed that an average person has around 80 passwords. The same survey was repeated later in the year — October 2020. It then showcased that the average number of passwords has increased by 25% — to 100 passwords.

Why do we have more passwords?

“Previously we attributed the increase to COVID-19 and the lockdowns — people were indoors and did everything online — from shopping to doctor’s consultations,” says Tomas Smalakys, chief technology officer (CTO) of NordPass.

“However, we can see that this is not the only reason — the amount of accounts that people hold gets higher every year. Multiple factors come into play — new services get launched, new shops are opened.”

Smalakys also notes that people tend to keep the accounts they no longer use. Instead of continuously reviewing the accounts and closing the ones that are redundant, people hoard them, which can become a security issue. Chances are, that if a platform which an internet user has forgotten about or no longer uses gets breached, they might not even notice it because they simply do not use it.

“Abandoned accounts are very attractive to hackers. The primary reason for it is that their passwords are usually easy to crack — unrevised they quickly get outdated, are often too short, and have no additional layers of security set up. Besides, people tend to reuse passwords, so breaking into one forgotten account can grant a hacker an access to other accounts,” Smalakys continues.

For work — an additional 87 passwords

This year, in addition to the number of passwords people use for personal accounts, researchers also found that at work, internet users are juggling 87 passwords on average.

Due to the fact that researchers investigated the number of passwords people use for business-related accounts for the first time, NordPass cannot conclude if the number of passwords people use at work is in fact growing. However, experts believe that it is likely, given that more companies are now offering remote or hybrid work settings, which require logins to many different systems.

Tips to handle all those passwords easier

Naturally, the task of keeping your passwords secure becomes even more complicated when the number of them grows, says Smalakys. To develop healthier credential management habits, Smalakys recommends starting with the following steps:

1. Audit your accounts. Try to remember as many of your accounts as possible, and delete the ones you no longer use. While people find it hard to remember all the accounts they have, going through the apps on your phone and email inbox can surely help remember some.

2. Give passkeys a try. It is an alternative online authentication technology, paving its way to replace passwords for good. Many online services already allow logins with passkeys.

3. Use a password manager. This technology software offers an end-to-end encrypted environment to create and store passwords, passkeys, private notes, or other credentials. In addition, password managers offer an autofill feature, which simplifies the login process on various websites.

Methodology: The new quantitative research by NordPass was conducted on March 4-15, 2024 and surveyed 1,509 NordPass users.

ABOUT NORDPASS

NordPass is a password manager for both business and consumer clients. It’s powered by the latest technology for the utmost security. Developed with affordability, simplicity, and ease of use in mind, NordPass allows users to access passwords securely on desktop, mobile, and browsers. All passwords are encrypted on the device, so only the user can access them. NordPass was created by the experts behind NordVPN — the advanced security and privacy app. For more information: nordpass.com.

Contact:
Emilija Gaivenyte
emilija@nordsec.com