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News May 25, 2021

Construction and manufacturing employees use weak passwords

Research from Nordpass, a proprietary password manager, shows employees in the construction and manufacturing industries use surprisingly weak passwords and put their businesses at risk, according to forconstructionpros.com.

Password information was compiled in partnership with a third-party company specializing in data breach research. Researchers analyzed data from public third-party breaches that affected Fortune 500 companies; data included more than 15 million breaches and was categorized into 17 different industries.

Researchers evaluated the top 10 passwords used in each industry, the percentile of unique passwords and the number of data breaches affecting each industry. For construction and manufacturing, the top 10 passwords used included the company name, the word “password,” and “123456.”

Businesses and their employees need to take extra care when it comes to cybersecurity to avoid data breaches. It also can be common for employees to use the same passwords for personal and business accounts, so consumer-facing breaches can potentially expose business enterprises.

According to an IBM report, an average global cost of a data breach is $3.86 million. And data breaches at U.S.-based companies are the most expensive at $8.64 million.

Businesses can reduce their risks and improve password hygiene by:

  • Creating complex and unique passwords and updating them regularly
  • Using multifactor authentication for an added layer of security or using single sign-on, which can make employees less likely to revert to bad password practices
  • Educating employees about password hygiene and potential risks. Be sure employees know they should avoid mixing their work and personal accounts to protect their personal identity and any information related to their employer in the event of a breach.
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