Survey reveals interesting insights regarding the password sharing practices in the workplace

Passwords are made to increase the security of the data so that no unauthorized person can have the access to the confidential records. However, the sharing of passwords among workers in the workplace is normal practice because they feel convenient to cooperate with other personnel. Somehow this can also negatively affect the security of data as well because some workers are having a weak password and they do not even care. A recent survey has been conducted by BeyondIdentity on thousand workers including 57.6 percent men and 42 percent women, in which several questions were asked about their password practices and propensities. For instance, do they consider their password is strong enough to keep the data safe? Do they use single passwords for multiple accounts? And further, their companies have the rule regarding important passwords? The normal ages of respondents were 37 years. However, this data is depending on self-report.

The initial objective for conducting this survey was to understand the usual exercise and spirits of workers about the safety of their work passwords. The report published the results that about 26.3 percent of workers consider their password extremely safe; however, 45.1 percent of the workers said that their password is very secure. Only 0.4 percent of employees think that their password is absolutely not safe at all.

As the password keeps the data safe and sound and there should be methods and tools to keep tracking the important passwords. The survey showed data that about 38.1 percent of work use password managers to remember their key password, as there are many apps that store and track important details. 34 percent of workers said that they write their password as security. 12.7 percent of workers said that they email their password to their own account so that they can get them at the time when they lost it.

Unfortunately, mostly those employees who are working in big organizations or companies said that they do not use any method to track or store their passwords. This survey allowed the workers to choose more than one option. The survey showed an astonishing fact that one in every four workers still remembers their previous work password. Companies should be very careful when an employee is leaving the organization so that they can change their password immediately.

Further data shows that about 41.7 percent of the workers have shared their passwords in the office they are currently working. Most of these workers are working in medium-sized companies. They are most likely to share their passwords with their co-workers because they consider it secure. About 66.2 percent of workers accepted that they have shared their passwords with their colleagues. 37.4 percent of employees have given their passwords to their families and 21 percent have given their passwords to their close friends. Only about 15 percent of the workers have given their passwords to contractors or provisional workers.

While sharing or giving the passwords to colleagues, families, and friends, 46.1 percent of employees mostly use emails, 45.1 percent of them give or share their passwords orally or when they are meeting face-to-face. 41.6 percent of employees said that they share their passwords in the form of text, while 27.6 percent said they use SMS. Just 2.9 percent of employees said they use other means to give their passwords.

You may be surprised to hear that 55.8 percent of workers do not even get punished for giving their passwords. However, employees of larger organizations mostly think that sharing workplace pins is a fireable crime. A few workers think that having a single password for work and personal use is good because it can be convenient to remember. One in five workers said that they use a single password for both personal email and office email. Some employees are risking their personal bank accounts because 21.5 percent of workers are using the work password on their personal bank account and it can have many adverse effects. This can be very dangerous especially for those accounts having some confidential details.

26.1 of the workers said that they have even experienced the data violation of their work account and even 14.4 percent of workers did not even inform their employers. This shows that employees are not even serious about the data violation of their work.

While answering the question of the strictness of employers towards the password procedures and rules, 16.3 percent of workers answers ‘YES’ their employer is very strict in this regard. However, 10.8 percent of workers said ‘NO’. Those people who gave the answer in ‘NO’ are most likely to be working in a small organization.

While answering the question of how often do they modify their passwords? 37.3 percent of workers working in the small organization said that they change it after every few months. While 42.1 percent of employees working in the medium-sized organization said that they modify it after few months. However, this percentage is 51.3 in big companies. Only 7.3 percent of workers in small companies change it every year. In medium-sized companies, changing the password every year has the lowest percentage of 6 only. This percent is 5.4 in giant companies. 1 in every 10 workers said that they change their password rarely or they do not even care to change their password

80.5 percent of employees accepted that their companies have the rule of changing their passwords. However, 19.5 of them said that their companies have no policies for the changing of passwords. While answering the question of does the workplace of workers shares their passwords with giant groups, 43.3 percent of workers said “YES” while 56.7 percent said “NO”. The highest frequency for changing group passwords in few months, as it has a 35.8 percent frequency ratio. You may be amazed to hear that 45.6 percent of employees think that strong password policies obstruct the efficiency of the work.
Password Sharing at Work: Exploring Employees' Habits Around Passwords in the Workplace
Survey reveals interesting insights regarding the password sharing practices in the workplace
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