Password Recklessness Leaves American Millennials at Risk of Data Theft

LONDON, May 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- More than three-quarters of millennials use the same password for more than ten different devices, apps and accounts, and some have even admitted to using the same password more than 50 different places.

For a generation that grew up with the internet, a startling recent study conducted by Clario and OnePoll has revealed alarming statistics about millennials' password practices.

In fact, fewer than one in fifty millennials believe their smartphone is 100% safe and more than 80 percent of Americans aged 25-34 are concerned about the security of their mobile devices, yet 44% use risky features like password autofill.

Millennials are clearly placing convenience over security and making it easy for cybercriminals to attack. Cybercriminals would need just one password to gain access to a victim's entire digital life.

Commenting on the findings Alun Baker, CEO at Clario said: "Smartphones are an integral part of our lives and they contain a huge amount of personally valuable data ranging from personal finance, family photos to private health information. Check the companies that were breached last year - Uber, Facebook, Booking, among others... These are apps that nearly every millenial uses. If a person's password gets leaked, cybercriminals would have immediate access to as many as 20 or more of the victim's accounts/apps. Passwords are not just passwords, they're keys to our digital life. Using multi-factor authentication, a secured password manager, VPN, and staying up-to-date on data breaches is a good way of protecting yourself from unwanted hacks. However, most people don't follow these recommendations daily, but services like Clario makes it easy for them to do so, providing 24/7 protection that puts users in control of their data."

Clario's jargon-free privacy and security app will launch this summer offering next generation digital protection. Until then, individuals can see if their passwords have been breached here.

Clario's tech experts recommend the following steps to help protect your data:

• Use a trusted password manager app instead of password autofill which, unlike autofill, makes it more difficult for other users to gain access to your saved passwords.
• VPN isn't just for work. Use it any time that you connect to WiFi – even if you think it is a secure network.
• Avoid storing photos or scans of important documents in your photos folder - use a trusted service like Dropbox instead.
• Check your app permissions. Stay vigilant about the level of permissions that you give to apps on your device, especially if they want to access data that's irrelevant to their function.
• Create separate accounts on your devices - for every member of the family.

Notes

Clario and OnePoll conducted an online survey of 2,000 people aged 18-55+ across the United States. Data has been weighted to the known offline population proportions for age within gender, government office region and working status. Percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole percentage. 

About Clario

Clario Tech Limited is a London-based cybersecurity company. It was founded in 2019 to disrupt the security software industry by securing people's digital lives with a human, customer-focused approach to cybersecurity and act as a consumer champion. Led by CEO Alun Barker, Clario employs more than 800 people including a large number of Apple Certified Tech experts and is launching its new product in June 2020.

CONTACT: Joseph Milholland, 404-667-3644, [email protected]

SOURCE Clario Tech Limited