How often do you change your passwords? For many people, the answer is "never."
A new PCMag survey of 2,500 US consumers, conducted between June 30 and July 2, reveals that 35 percent of people never change their passwords; they only do it if they're prompted. Twenty-seven percent said they change them several times a year, 12 percent change them once a month, and 8 percent change them several times a month. Meanwhile, 4 percent change their passwords once a week, another 4 percent change them several times a week. A surprising 11 percent change them every day.
It may seem counterintuitive, but those who only change their passwords when prompted may have the right idea. The National Institute of Standards and Technology last year stopped advising users to change their passwords every 90 days and now recommends only refreshing them if they've been breached.
Meanwhile, most users we surveyed are confident about their ability to thwart cyber attacks. Fifty-two percent said they believe they know how to effectively prevent and combat attacks such as malware, card fraud, and ransomware, and 69 percent consider themselves at least somewhat knowledgeable about these risks. At the same time, however, 36 percent said they have never had proper cybersecurity training and 51 percent spend no money on cybersecurity protection.
A quarter of respondents said they have experienced a cybersecurity attack in the past while three-quarters have not.
As for what users are doing to stay safe online, the most common measures include using anti-virus software (53 percent do), taking advantage of privacy and security settings on social media (37 percent), and using two-factor authentication (31 percent). Meanwhile, just 29 percent said they regularly install updates, while only 24 percent use a password manager, and just 18 percent use a VPN.
PCMag's survey also reveals that many users are slacking when it comes to backing up their data. Twenty-six percent of respondents said they don't regularly back up their files and another 20 percent only do so a couple times a year. Another 54 percent back up their data at least once a month or more frequently.