Holiday Alert: ZoneAlarm Survey Reveals That Passwords Are the Weakest Link in Online Security
December 20 2010 - 8:30AM
Marketwired
Check Point® Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHKP), the
worldwide leader in securing the Internet, today announced the
findings of a ZoneAlarm survey(1) which revealed that 79% of
consumers use risky password construction practices, such as
including personal information and words. The survey also revealed
that 26% of respondents reuse the same password for important
accounts such as email, banking or shopping and social networking
sites. In addition, as much as 8% admit to copying an entire
password found online in a listing of "good" passwords. No wonder
that 29% of respondents had their own email or social network
account hacked, and that over half (52%) know someone who has had a
similar problem.
The first thing a hacker will do to break into a computer or
secure account is try and guess the victim's password. Automated
programs are also available to repeatedly guess passwords from a
database of common words or other information. The ZoneAlarm study
also revealed that about 22% of respondents had experienced email
hacking and about 46% know of others who experienced similar email
problems. Additionally, about 22% of respondents had experienced
social network account hacking and 32% know others who have also
had similar problems. Once a hacker gains access to one account,
almost 30% of the time that information can be used to access other
sites that contain financial data such as bank account numbers and
credit card information.
"Especially now, with online shopping on the rise this holiday
season, consumers need to be aware of the importance of passwords
and the fact that hackers are getting more and more sophisticated
in cracking them," said Bari Abdul, vice president of consumer
sales at Check Point. "By creating a unique password for each
important account, consumers create the first line of defense
against online thieves who can't wait to gain access to critical
data for financial gain."
To ensure consumers stay safe online and enjoy this holiday
season, here are a few tips for creating a strong password:
- Choose a password that is at least 8 to 10 characters long.
This should be long enough to prevent brute force attacks. Since
brute force attacks consist of trying every possible code,
combination, or a password until the right one is found.
- Make sure your password is difficult for someone to guess. Do
not use names of any kind, including your login name, family
member's name or a pet's name. Also avoid using personal
information such as a phone number, birthday or place of
birth.
- Avoid words that can be found in the dictionary. With the
availability of online dictionaries it is easy for someone to write
a program to test all of the words until they find the right
one.
- Stay away from repeated characters or easy to guess sequences.
For example: 77777, 12345, or abcde.
- Choose a password that is a mixture of numbers, letters and
special characters. The more complex and random it is the harder it
will be for a malicious person to crack.
- Use fragments of words that will not be found in a dictionary.
Break the word in half and put a special character in the
middle.
- Choose different and unique passwords for all of the important
sites.
- Change your passwords often. Even if someone cracks the system
password file, the password they obtain is not likely to last
long.
- Use a reliable password protection solution. ZoneAlarm offers
Password Manager partner products available at:
http://www.zonealarm.com/security/en-us/pc-computer-software-tools.htm.
In addition, ZoneAlarm offers a variety of security solutions
critical to protecting consumers against sophisticated online
threats. More information can be found at www.zonealarm.com.
"When creating passwords, consumers should think about the
importance of the account, and what the consequences would be if it
was hacked. Ultimately, you would not use the same generic password
for a banking account as the one used to sign up for a free video
game," concluded Abdul.
About Check Point Software Technologies
Ltd. Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.
(www.checkpoint.com), the worldwide leader in securing the
Internet, is the only vendor to deliver Total Security for
networks, data and endpoints, unified under a single management
framework. Check Point provides customers with uncompromised
protection against all types of threats, reduces security
complexity and lowers total cost of ownership. Check Point first
pioneered the industry with FireWall-1 and its patented stateful
inspection technology. Today, Check Point continues to innovate
with the development of the Software Blade architecture. The
dynamic Software Blade architecture delivers secure, flexible and
simple solutions that can be fully customized to meet the exact
security needs of any organization or environment. Check Point
customers include tens of thousands of businesses and organizations
of all sizes including all Fortune 100 companies. Check Point's
award-winning ZoneAlarm solutions protect millions of consumers
from hackers, spyware and identity theft.
©2010 Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. All rights
reserved.
(1) The Zoomerang survey sponsored by Check Point was conducted
in December 2010, surveying over 250 PC users in United States. The
survey sample included randomly chosen adults ages eighteen and
over.
Media Contact Mirka Janus Check Point Software
Technologies +1 650.628.2070 press@us.checkpoint.com Investor
Contact Kip E. Meintzer Check Point Software Technologies +1
650.628.2040 ir@us.checkpoint.com
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