WOBURN, MA – April 15, 2015 — /BackupReview.info/ — According to the Kaspersky Lab Consumer Security Risks Survey, 21 percent of respondents assume their passwords are of no value to cyber criminals. Furthermore, the survey shows that respondents often take the easy way out when creating and storing passwords. For example, only 26 percent of those surveyed create a separate password for each account and just 6 percent use password storage software.

However, passwords are the keys to an online account holders’ personal data, private life and even their money, which is very valuable to a cybercriminal. Despite the fact that passwords provide access to valuable information, the survey shows that respondents are not always careful. Specifically, 18 percent of those surveyed write down their passwords in a notebook and 17 percent freely share their personal account passwords with family members and friends.

Meanwhile, statistics show that password theft is a common occurrence. In 2014, according to Kaspersky Security Network figures, Kaspersky Lab products protected 3.5 million people from malicious attacks that were capable of stealing usernames and passwords to accounts of various types.

“Even if you are not a celebrity or a billionaire, cybercriminals can profit from your credentials,” says Elena Kharchenko, head of consumer product management, Kaspersky Lab. “A password is like a key to your home; you wouldn’t leave your door unlocked, or put your keys where anyone could find them, just because you don’t think you have anything of great value. Complex passwords unique to each account, carefully stored in a safe place, will save you a lot of trouble.”

To protect accounts against unauthorized entry, Kaspersky Lab recommends the following:

  • Create a unique password for each account: if one password is stolen, the rest will remain safe.
  • Create a complex password that won’t be easy to crack even if cybercriminals are using special programs. That means using at least 8 symbols including upper and lower-case letters, numbers, punctuation marks and no pet names or dates of birth.
  • Do not give your password to anyone, not even your friends. If cybercriminals can’t steal it from your device, they might be able do it from someone else’s.
  • Store your password in a safe place. Don’t write it down on paper; either remember it or use a special program for storing passwords from a reliable vendor such as Kaspersky Password Manager, which is also integrated in Kaspersky Total Security.

Kaspersky Password Manager does more than just securely storing strong passwords; it automatically enters the user’s credentials on pages without the need to remember several complex passwords. Additionally, Kaspersky Password Manager for Windows includes a strong password generator.

About Kaspersky Lab
Kaspersky Lab is the world’s largest privately held vendor of endpoint protection solutions. The company is ranked among the world’s top four vendors of security solutions for endpoint users*. Throughout its more than 17-year history Kaspersky Lab has remained an innovator in IT security and provides effective digital security solutions for large enterprises, SMBs and consumers. Kaspersky Lab, with its holding company registered in the United Kingdom, currently operates in almost 200 countries and territories across the globe, providing protection for over 400 million users worldwide. Learn more at www.kaspersky.com.

For the latest in-depth information on security threat issues and trends, please visit:

Securelist | Information about Viruses, Hackers and Spam – https://securelist.com/
Follow @Securelist on Twitter

Threatpost | The First Stop for Security News – https://threatpost.com/
Follow @Threatpost on Twitter

* The company was rated fourth in the IDC rating Worldwide Endpoint Security Revenue by Vendor, 2013. The rating was published in the IDC report “Worldwide Endpoint Security 2014–2018 Forecast and 2013 Vendor Shares (IDC #250210, August 2014). The report ranked software vendors according to earnings from sales of endpoint security solutions in 2013.

Media Contact
Sarah (Bergeron) Kitsos
781.503.2615
sarah.kitsos@kaspersky.com
www.kaspersky.com

Source: Kaspersky

 

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