Millions of people across the UK could be using just one password across all their accounts - and that's a huge problem

2 hours ago 8

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Britons are putting account at risk by reusing passwords
A single leak could cause every account to be compromised
Only 1 in 5 use a unique password for every account

For most of the accounts we use on a day to day basis, a password is the only thing protecting them.

But if you use one password across all your accounts, a single data breach could put every single account in jeopardy.

A new survey has found over six million Britons could be using just a single password to protect all of their accounts - across social media, banking, and work.

A singular point of protection

The survey, conducted by hybrid cloud services provider DTP Group, found that of their 1000 person sample, just 1 in 5 people use a unique password for every account. If applied to the UK population as a whole, this means that as much as 80% of the population is reusing passwords across their accounts.

Just under 60% rely on six or less passwords, and over 12% of respondents said that they use a single password across all of their accounts.

For many in the UK, a single password leak could cause a cascade of breaches and account theft. But password management isn’t all that difficult. On iPhones, the free Passwords app can generate, store, and autofill passwords quickly and securely. The Google Password Manager is available on Android.

Alternatively, the best password managers do exactly the same, and often come packaged with other useful tools such as auditing for compromised or reused passwords, dark web monitoring to see if your data has been leaked online, and even a VPN to keep your internet traffic encrypted.

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But, if you don’t want to pay and aren’t a fan of the options included on iPhone or Android, there are numerous free password managers to choose from.

Cybersecurity experts recommend that you use a unique password for every account, consisting of a random mix of numbers and letters of at least 12 characters, with a special character included.

Benedict has been writing about security issues for over 7 years, first focusing on geopolitics and international relations while at the University of Buckingham. During this time he studied BA Politics with Journalism, for which he received a second-class honours (upper division), then continuing his studies at a postgraduate level, achieving a distinction in MA Security, Intelligence and Diplomacy. Upon joining TechRadar Pro as a Staff Writer, Benedict transitioned his focus towards cybersecurity, exploring state-sponsored threat actors, malware, social engineering, and national security. Benedict is also an expert on B2B security products, including firewalls, antivirus, endpoint security, and password management.

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