MicroScope+ Premium Content/MicroScope

According to Verizon’s 2017 data breach investigation report, 81% of breaches in 2017 involved stolen or weak passwords. This is not surprising when we are told that the average user has 90 online accounts, and despite efforts to raise awareness, poor password practice is still the norm rather than the exception. But let’s face it, we all struggle with remembering a multitude of long, complex and secure passwords. Companies know the problems they face. According to a recent survey led by independent market research firm Cite Research, IT decision makers at companies of up to 1,000 employees believe that 47% of their employees use weak passwords and 31% believe employees use the same network passwords for personal applications. This means that cyber criminals can utilise a variety of techniques to acquire usernames and passwords, such as phishing, social engineering and buying stolen credentials on the dark web, to gain network access. With the realisation that people will always be a weak link, it is not surprising that 84% of ...