Google says 94% of Singaporeans still have crappy password practices

A new survey commissioned by tech giants Google in Asia has confirmed what many of us have continued to suspect all these years – most people still have incredibly unsecure password practices, despite relying on the internet to get things done much more than before.

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For the Singaporean community especially, Google highlighted a few worrying trends regarding password safety that was confirmed after querying thousands of individuals.

IMAGE: UC Berkeley

1. Despite around 60 percent of Singaporeans having experienced a data breach (or at least knowing a person who has), 94 percent of all respondents still admit to practicing poor password habits.

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2. 82 percent of Singaporeans recycle the same password for multiple sites, 40 percent admitting doing this for up to 10 different websites.

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3. 35 percent of respondents admitted to using easy-to-guess password combinations, including birthdates, anniversaries, pet names, and postal codes.

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4. 17 percent admitted to keeping their passwords on digital note applications on their devices – most of them of which aren't encrypted by default.

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5. Every two in five (44 percent) revealed that they had no problems sharing their passwords with those close to them – mostly friends and family.

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6. For online transactions, 64 percent said that they'd made purchases without the use of a secure symbol (which tells whether or not a site is secure).

Security is a necessity.

In its report highlighting the survey results, Google acknowledged that practices such as the ones highlighted above only serve to endanger internet users and put them at risk of data breaches and hackings that lead up to hefty damages (financial, or even worse, physical).

IMAGE: Forbes

With the e-commerce boom now more apparent than ever, it's estimated that the average internet user has 25 percent more passwords today than they did before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. On average, each person holds around 80 passwords – which is a lot to memorize.

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This explains why many individuals now choose to recycle their passwords, use easy combinations, or store them in unsecure note applications on their phones or computers, for instance.

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"We know from past research that people who have had their data exposed by a breach are 10 times more likely to be hijacked," said Ben King, country director for Google Singapore. "When we compromise security for convenience by sharing, recycling, and using guessable passwords, we put our personal information – including payment data – at exponential risk."

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But not all seems dire, however. Google also revealed other more encouraging signs that showed Singaporeans were willing to make necessary changes if necessary.

1. 83 percent of Singaporeans said they'd be willing to change their passwords immediately in the face of a potential data breach.

2. 70 percent said they'd use two-factor authentication (2FA) security even if it wasn't necessary.

3. 33 percent said they'd be likely to use a password manager to sort and diversify their combinations online.

3 easy things Google recommends.

Building upon the growing awareness of the need for robust online security, Google outlined three actionable steps that everyone can take to make their data and online accounts more secure.

1. Simply use stronger and better passwords.

It's hardly a surprise that using recycled passwords or easy combinations will lead to breaches and hacks more often than not. So Google recommends using a strong combination for each account, with all passwords at least eight characters in length and not at all obvious to guess.

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Putting this into practice can be tedious and difficult to remember, however, which is why Google recommends using its Password Manager's Password Checkup feature, which analyzes the strength of each of your passwords, and can even tell if there are any that have been compromised online (with steps on how to fix them).

2. Always use two-factor authentication (2FA) wherever possible.

Many of us are already aware of 2FA security, but Google reminds us that using 2FA greatly decreases the likelihood of another party gaining unwanted access to our accounts and info online.

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2FA goes beyond just using a username and a password, and insists that log-ins also be verified by a supplementary six-digit code that is obtainable either via SMS, an authenticator app, or even a physical security key.

3. Do the Google Security Checkup.

Google recommends using their Security Checkup feature to safeguard their online data and accounts, and is adamant that the two-minute duration needed to do so is completely worth it.

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It provides users with personalized and actionable recommendations for re-securing their connected devices, and reviewing access to third-party sites – many of which are risky and pose considerable security hazards.

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For anyone that wants to make sure their online accounts and cloud-based data are secure, be sure to visit Google's Safety Center to get access to all of the features listed above.