McAfee releases global study revealing consumer attitudes towards passwords

McAfee strongly advocates the importance of passwords and online security. This year, in conjunction with World Password Day 2017, McAfee conducted a global survey of over 3,000 people that aims to better understand consumer attitude towards passwords.

Respondents included markets that exhibit similar mobile device adoption rates and maturity to Singapore, such as USA and Australia, which boast high penetration rates of mobile devices. The survey revealed some interesting findings such as – infographic appended for your perusal:

·  More than half of the respondents have no qualms sharing their passwords with others (59% USA, 54% Australia)

·  Close to one third reuse the same or similar passwords on multiple accounts (34% USA, 32% Australia)

·  Forgetting a password is a considered a strong enough hassle for over 70% of respondents to abandon what they are attempting to do online

·  Respondents would gladly give up pampering themselves if they never need to remember a password ever again

The findings echoed that of a local survey conducted by the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore, which reveals that 31% of consumers in Singapore reuse the same passwords for work and personal accounts. Despite a high level of education around password security, it seems like most people just find remembering passwords to be too much of a hassle despite 86% indicating that there is a need for strong passwords.

Additionally, McAfee has created an online game to teach consumers about password managers and good password hygiene. For more information on World Password Day and online safety tips for consumers, please check out this blog .