PasswordManager.com Survey Finds Nearly Half of Workers Have Hacked Former Employers’ Accounts

Ex-employees admit to using previous employers’ passwords to access paid subscriptions and disrupt company activities

SEATTLE, WA – PasswordManager.com, a dedicated resource for password security and internet safety, has published a recent survey report that examines the prevalence of former employees accessing and using company passwords after they leave their jobs. The study also shares insight into the top reasons workers hack their previous employers’ accounts. Researchers gathered feedback from 1,000 U.S. workers that had access to company passwords at their previous jobs.

Based on survey results, 47 percent of respondents admit to using former employers’ passwords after leaving the company. Among this group, 58 percent say they were able to access their former employers’ passwords because ‘it hadn’t changed since they left,’ 44 percent say a ‘current employee shared it,’ and 6 percent say they were ‘able to guess it.’ Of respondents who are currently using these passwords, 64 percent say they used them to access their company email, 49 percent say to access paid tools or subscriptions, and 44 percent say to access company data.

“Companies are responsible for the integrity of their operations,” says Daniel Farber Huang, head of privacy and cybersecurity. “Ideally the company creates standard operating procedures or consistent schedules of updating passwords based on criticality.”

Among respondents who admit to using their former employers’ passwords, 56 percent say they accessed information from previous employers’ accounts for ‘personal use,’ and 10 percent say they wanted to ‘disrupt company activities.’ Additionally, 1 in 3 respondents believe their former employers’ password security practices were ‘unsafe’ or ‘very unsafe.’ In fact, only 1 in 7 respondents have been caught using passwords from their former companies.

This survey was commissioned by PasswordManager.com and conducted online via survey platform Pollfish on March 28, 2023. In total, 1,000 participants in the United States completed the full survey. All participants met demographic criteria to ensure they were age 25 or older and currently self-employed or employed for wages. Additionally, respondents were screened to include only those who had access to company passwords at their previous jobs and used a password from a previous employer within the past five years. To view the complete report, please visit: https://www.passwordmanager.com/47-of-workers-admit-to-hacking-accounts-with-former-employers-passwords/

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PasswordManager.com is a leading authority in password security and internet safety. Consumers can access free informational resources to help protect their online accounts and personal information. The company is led by a team of experts, researchers, and analysts who are committed to ensuring internet safety of all consumers. To learn more, visit https://www.passwordmanager.com/.

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