The psychology of password use: this is why weak passwords remain popular

Why do we often use weak passwords? Because our brain chooses the easiest route and considers passwords not important enough to remember. But secure password use is crucial, especially for businesses. A password manager can help automatically generate and store unique, strong passwords. Learn how to improve your password management in this blog post.

Why do we so often use weak passwords?

Remembering different passwords is a challenge for the human brain. Yes, the truth hurts. But why do we actually do this? Why do we create passwords that are so easy to crack? The answer is actually quite simple: laziness. The human brain tends to choose the easiest route and would like us to work as quickly and efficiently as possible without wasting energy. In the process, our brains don't consider passwords important enough to store in long-term memory. The result? We all choose the same, weak password like "123456" or if it needs to be a little more complex "Welcome01!" Unfortunately, these types of passwords are also easy for hackers with malicious intent to guess.

Importance of a secure password

Secure password use is critical for any business owner. Regardless of size or industry. In 2021, for example, reports of data breaches due to cyberattacks skyrocketed, reported the Personal Data Authority. This number nearly doubled from the previous year. Not to mention the cost of a security breach.

But the importance of secure password use goes beyond protecting corporate data. It also helps build trust with customers and partners. If you pay insufficient attention to security, you cannot guarantee the protection of third-party and customer data. Something that really can't be done in 2023.

Improve your password management with a password manager

In case it is not yet clear, we are happy to say it again: As a company, it is important to ensure the security of sensitive information. This includes protecting the data of customers, employees and the organization itself. That starts with a strong password. Because the human brain is not made to remember and manage multiple, unique passwords, a password manager is the solution.

A password manager can automatically generate and store unique, strong passwords for each account. This means employees no longer have to remember which password belongs to which account, and they can focus on their work instead of struggling with password management. In addition, using a password manager makes it easier to change passwords regularly to improve security. Another benefit of a password manager is that it enhances security by allowing for Two or Multi-factor authentication to be set up for different accounts. This means that in addition to the password, additional authentication is required before access is granted.

*Two-step verification helps manage your passwords securely*

Manage your passwords with Bitwarden

Team LennMedia used, with success, Bitwarden. A popular password manager that helps companies and individual users manage their passwords in a secure and organized manner. In addition to securely managing your passwords, Bitwarden also offers useful features such as auto-fill of login information and generation of strong passwords (even whole sentences) to improve account security. This handy tool is considered one of the best password managers on the market and is often recommended by security experts because of its strong encryption and open source code. This means you can independently check the software for any vulnerabilities or security issues.

The benefits of Bitwarden at a glance:

Safety: Bitwire provides strong encryption and uses security protocols such as PBKDF2 SHA-256 and AES-256 to protect your data.
Easy access: The tool provides access to your passwords from your Internet-enabled mobile devices and any browser, thanks to browser extensions and mobile apps.
Automatic password completion: Don't feel like typing in your long password yourself? Bitwarden fills in passwords automatically on login pages.
Strong password generation: Passwords like "1234password" or "ilovemycat" are a thing of the past with Bitwarden. In fact, this tool allows you to generate strong, unique passwords for all your accounts.
Password sharing: Need to share your password with a colleague or partner sometime? No worries, with Bitwarden you can securely share your passwords with other users, both inside and outside the organization. This way you work together a lot easier without compromising security.
Audit trails and reports: It is also possible with Bitwarden to run detailed audit trails and reports. This helps you manage and monitor your organization's password security. This will help you stay one step ahead of hackers.

Protect yourself from hackers

Secure password use is crucial, especially for businesses. Unfortunately, our brains are not made to remember and manage multiple, unique passwords. A password manager like Bitwarden helps by automatically generating and storing unique, strong passwords for each account. Want to learn more about how to improve your password management? Send a message to one of our experts!