--- title: Recent Study Shows Alarming Insights On People And Passwords description: Recent Study Shows Alarming Insights On People And Passwords --- [Securafy Knowledge Hub](https://blog.securafy.com) - [Topics](https://blog.securafy.com/#sf-cover) - [Tools](https://blog.securafy.com/#sf-tools) - [Books & Guides](https://blog.securafy.com/#sf-books) [Talk to Securafy](https://meetings.hubspot.com/securafy/strategy-call) [Topics](https://blog.securafy.com/#sf-cover) [Tools](https://blog.securafy.com/#sf-tools) [Books & Guides](https://blog.securafy.com/#sf-books) [Talk to Securafy](https://meetings.hubspot.com/securafy/strategy-call) [Knowledge Hub](https://blog.securafy.com) / IT Operations IT Operations # Recent Study Shows Alarming Insights On People And Passwords Recent Study Shows Alarming Insights On People And Passwords ![Randy Hall](https://blog.securafy.com/hubfs/Randy%20Hall%202.png) By Randy Hall Updated Jul 2024 3 min read Share [**](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https://blog.securafy.com/2021/10/07/recent-study-shows-alarming-insights-on-people-and-passwords) [**](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://blog.securafy.com/2021/10/07/recent-study-shows-alarming-insights-on-people-and-passwords&text=%3Cspan+id%3D%22hs_cos_wrapper_name%22+class%3D%22hs_cos_wrapper+hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field+hs_cos_wrapper_type_text%22+style%3D%22%22+data-hs-cos-general-type%3D%22meta_field%22+data-hs-cos-type%3D%22text%22+%3ERecent+Study+Shows+Alarming+Insights+On+People+And+Passwords%3C%2Fspan%3E) [**](mailto:?subject=%3Cspan+id%3D%22hs_cos_wrapper_name%22+class%3D%22hs_cos_wrapper+hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field+hs_cos_wrapper_type_text%22+style%3D%22%22+data-hs-cos-general-type%3D%22meta_field%22+data-hs-cos-type%3D%22text%22+%3ERecent+Study+Shows+Alarming+Insights+On+People+And+Passwords%3C%2Fspan%3E&body=https://blog.securafy.com/2021/10/07/recent-study-shows-alarming-insights-on-people-and-passwords) ![](https://static.hsstatic.net/BlogImporterAssetsUI/ex/missing-image.png)A new study recently published by the digital identity firm Beyond Identity contains a number of surprises relating to passwords and password security. This is information that IT professionals and small or medium-sized business owners should be aware of. While it is not a rigorous and scientific study the results of the company's survey are beyond surprising. **Here's a quick overview:** First fully one in ten people surveyed felt confident that they could guess a co-worker's password by browsing through their social media accounts. Second and nearly as surprising is the fact that just over half of those surveyed (50.1 percent) share at least some of their passwords with others with video streaming accounts leading the pack here. Nearly as many people (44.9 percent) share passwords to their music streaming platforms. The thing that is somewhat disturbing about this is that more than one in four of those surveyed (25.7 percent) share their banking passwords. A surprising percentage of people (22 percent) try at least occasionally to guess a co-worker's password. Nearly as many people (19.9 percent) try to guess their boss' password. When these attempts are made 39.2 percent of the time the person attempting the guess uses personal information they know about the person. In addition 18.4 percent of the time the person attempting to guess will check the other person's social media pages and use the information there to inform their password guesses. 43.7 percent of these attempts are made to try and get into the target's email system while 32.6 percent are attempts to guess phone passwords. We find these statistics to be as stunning as they are illuminating and they serve to highlight areas of weaknesses that likely exist in your own organization. The good news is that there are a number of easy things you can do to better secure your passwords including the use of two-factor authentication and strong password generation apps. You should absolutely take steps like these because as this report shows your passwords probably aren't nearly as secure as you imagine them to be. Tagged Under IT Operations[Cybersecurity](https://blog.securafy.com/tag/cybersecurity)Business Continuity In This Article Need Help With Your Current Setup? Talk through your current systems, risks, and support gaps with Securafy. [Book a Strategy Call](https://meetings.hubspot.com/securafy/strategy-call) ## Join The Conversation Have a question or perspective on this topic? Add it below. ![Randy Hall](https://blog.securafy.com/hubfs/Randy%20Hall%202.png) About The Author Randy Hall · CEO & Founder Randy Hall is the CEO and Founder of Securafy, with decades of experience helping organizations make smarter, safer decisions about technology. A frequent speaker and instructor at national IT events, Randy has advised thousands of organizations, from startups and SMBs to large enterprises and U.S. government entities, on secure, practical technology adoption. He writes about the decisions business leaders are often expected to make without enough context, including cybersecurity, compliance, AI, cyber insurance, IT strategy, and business resilience. Outside the office, you’ll often find Randy on Lake Erie enjoying time on his 38-foot Chris-Craft. **Writes about:** Cybersecurity strategy, compliance, AI security, business resilience, cyber insurance, SMB risk, IT leadership [More From This Author →](https://blog.securafy.com/author/randyhall) Related Articles Business Continuity [Compliance Risk Assessment: How Downtime Impacts Your Bottom Line](https://blog.securafy.com/compliance-risk-assessment-how-downtime-impacts-your-bottom-line) When systems go down, compliance obligations don't pause—and the financial consequences ... 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