Americans Use Their Pet’s Name In Their Passwords
More Americans use their pet’s name in their passwords! While some folks may think they are clever when coming up with their passwords, they are actually making it easy for…
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – JULY 27: Milly, a 13-week-old kitten waits with her brother Charlie (L) to be re-homed at The Society for Abandoned Animals Sanctuary in Sale, Manchester which is…
Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty ImagesMore Americans use their pet’s name in their passwords! While some folks may think they are clever when coming up with their passwords, they are actually making it easy for others to steal their info.
A new survey finds:
- 39% of American with pets have made their pet’s name part of a password for an online account.
- And that goes up to 50% for pet parents between 35 and 44.
- And 63% of parents with children under 18 have used their pet’s name in a password.
So, why exactly is that so bad?
- Well, pet passwords are some of the easiest to guess because the information is easily found by criminals.
- That’s because…
- 59% of people have posted a photo of their pet to social media.
- 48% have shared their pet's name on social media.
- 36% of those who have ever posted their pet's name on social media have 500 or more followers on their social accounts.
- And what’s worse, 47% of pet parents guilty of using their pet’s name in passwords have used the same password over multiple, if not all, their accounts.
- 23% have shared the password with folks outside their immediate household.
- 74% only change their password if they are forced to.
But pet name-inspired passwords aren’t the only ones that are easy to guess.
- Other things used in passwords that make it easy for criminals to steal your info include:
- Birthdays or anniversaries (40%)
- Family members' names (34%)
- Sports teams (22%)
Source: AP News
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Steve Maney’s radio career has taken him all over the US, from interning with Howard Stern to working with Elvis Duran, this radio veteran now calls Charlotte and Kiss 95.1 home. He is Kiss’ staple entertainment guy writing about his thoughts on local news and funny topics like the name of the male Karen. It’s so much to know, but Maney will deep dive into any topic to get you a great piece to read.
