Cybersecurity: there’s really no excuse for not using a password manager
A recent study on password use and cybersecurity has found the same as many previous studies: that people are still using the likes of “012345678”, “password” or “qwerty123”. The difference between this study and others is not in its conclusions, but in its target audience: this time, the authors of the study limited the sample, instead of users in general, to company executives.
Why would a manager, who is supposed to have a minimum of training and responsibility, use a password so simple that a small child, never mind a criminal, could work it out in a matter of seconds?
The question is important, given that cyber-attacks against businesses are now becoming the norm. Criminals scour lists of companies of all sizes looking for victims, and then tailor the ransom demand based on their turnover. By accessing a username, easily worked out from the name of a manager, and then guessing a password, the criminals are in and can then do what they want.
There are, of course, more sophisticated approaches, but often enough, it’s that easy. Why? Because there are still idiots out there who use “12345678” or “password” or “qwerty123” as their password, and whose sacking would be perfectly justified. The same as an employee who left the lights, on, failed to lock up the premises and…
