The importance of having a stronger password in order to protect your computer and your files is an essential aspect of cybersecurity and an important preventative measure against the actions of malicious hackers. To remind everyone about the importance of a strong password, World Passport Day is held on May 7 each year. Despite this being the seventh year, reports and surveys continue to indicate that many passwords are very weak.
As an example, looking at the U.S., a new survey finds that many in the U.S. have weak passwords. Moreover, even with simple passwords many people struggle to remember them. Here data suggests that 44 percent of U.S. ciitzens have abandoned an online purchase because they forgot their password for the site, according to iProov.
The company recently conducted a survey to gauge Americans’ attitudes about passwords and found that on average, U.S. citizens abandon a purchase due to a forgotten password 16 times per year, which equals once every three weeks.
Speaking with Digital Journal, iProov CEO and founder Andrew Bud provides some insights into how passwords are holding businesses back and how we can prevent it.
According to Bud: “Everyone knows that passwords are not secure. But the solution that is being applied to weak password security is to make passwords more complicated. Perhaps that’s why half of Americans have abandoned online purchases in the past year and businesses have lost millions of dollars–we just can’t remember our passwords.”
There are alternatives, however, as Bud indicates: “Imagine a world in which you never forget passwords because there aren’t any. You simply authenticate yourself with biometrics–it remembers you even when you haven’t visited a site for months, providing exceptional usability and outstanding security to remove the frustration with passwords and make everyone’s lives better.”
Bud draws on his own businesses experience to show what can be done in terms of offering an alternative. iProov, is a biometric authentication company helping organizations like the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the UK Home Office.
