When broken down even further, the study clearly showed some generational differences Today, younger adults tend to put less care into choosing and maintaining passwords and other login information. Young adults are also more comfortable using biometrics and other login technologies to improve digital security.
Here are some of the highlights that the study, which included nearly 4,000 adults across the U.S., Asia and Europe:
Security is more important than convenience: Security is seen as the highest priority for logging into applications, especially when it came to money-related apps.
Biometric Security is gaining ground: 67 percent of the people in the study feel comfortable using biometric authentication technologies, and 87 percent say they expect to regularly use these technologies in the future.
Millennials and passwords: The study showed that 75 percent of millennials are comfortable using biometrics, but less than half use complex passwords, and 41 percent reuse passwords. Older generations included in the study (Gen X, Boomers, etc) typically applied more care to password creation, while remaining less inclined to adopt biometrics and other advanced authentication technologies.
Asia leading the way on biometrics: Asian adults included in the study were shown to be the most knowledgeable and comfortable with biometric authentication, while the respondents in the U.S. were the least comfortable.
The average internet user typically manages 30-50 online accounts that require passwords. That number is expected to rise in coming years. Security experts agree that password-based technology is nearing its limits in the amount of security it can provide. As cybercriminals up their game, new login technologies like biometrics are not only going to become commonplace, but mandatory.
For more information on how a managed network service can proactively protect you from cybercrime, please contact us.