Ping Identity and Yubico have surveyed IT leaders across the globe, including in Australia, to determine their appetite for passwordless solutions. The survey, Our Passwordless Future: a New Era of Security , found the desire was clear to adopt more secure and convenient methods of passwordless authentication. They cited gains in security, productivity, and customer experience as key drivers.
“Passwords are not only frustrating but easily exploited via remote bad actors,” said Andre Durand, CEO and founder of Ping Identity. “A passwordless future not only removes a usability headache for end-users, but makes identity and account take over and fraud far more difficult for remote actors. It’s reassuring to see IT leaders across the globe aligned on a future where passwords are replaced by simple, easy, and more secure authentication.”
KEY GLOBAL AND AUSTRALIAN FINDINGS
Passwords present serious security concerns:
- 94% globally and 95% of Australian IT leaders have serious concerns about user-generated passwords.
- 91% globally and 89% of Australian IT leaders are very or somewhat worried about passwords at their organisation being stolen.
- The thought that passwords are deceptively weak is highest among Australian IT leaders (92%), compared to a still sizable 69% of French IT leaders.
- 50% globally and 47% of Australian IT leaders are concerned that passwords are too weak for security purposes.
- 94% of Australian IT leaders say that employees have been less cautious with their password management as remote and hybrid work become more common.
Passwords are a drain on productivity:
- 67% globally and 71% of Australian IT leaders are concerned with the helpdesk costs associated with passwords.
- 33% of helpdesk tickets globally and 37% in Australia are related to passwords, and in the past year, IT leaders have seen a 30% increase globally and 33% increase in Australia in password-related incidents.
- Globally, IT leaders estimate employees must enter passwords an average of 12 times a day globally. In Australia this figure is 15 times daily.
IT leaders face challenges and resistance to passwordless adoption:
- 97% of IT leaders globally and 99% of those Australian IT leaders who haven’t adopted passwordless authentication believe they will face challenges in doing so.
- 91% of IT leaders globally and 94% of Australian IT leaders agree that password security is a cultural issue for which business leaders – not users – must take responsibility.
- 33% of IT leaders globally and 39% of IT leaders in Australia of those who haven’t adopted passwordless authentication say a lack of expertise is a barrier to adopting passwordless authentication.
Unlocking the benefits of a passwordless future
- 100% of Australian IT leaders recognise the benefits of passwordless authentication, including enhanced security (55%) reduced security costs (47%), and less support needed (46%).
- 96% of IT leaders globally and in Australia say passwordless authentication would create an easier user experience (UX) for employees; 98% of those with a customer login portal say it would create an easier UX for customers.
- Australian IT leaders lead the way in their likelihood to adopt passwordless authentication with 79% completely or very likely to adopt this in the near future. This compares to 67% in France, 56% in Germany and 63% in both the UK and US.
- Among organisations that adopted or plan to use passwordless authentication, the top forms are biometrics (67% globally and 61% in Australia), PIN (48% globally and 39% in Australia)) and physical security keys (38% globally and 29% in Australia).
“With the vast majority of all cyberattacks starting with stolen passwords or other weak login credentials, Yubico is working towards a phishing-resistant and passwordless future,” said Stina Ehrensvard, CEO and co-founder of Yubico. “The need for adopting modern authentication is highlighted on a daily basis with examples like the White House’s cybersecurity executive order and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Surveys like this demonstrate the mindset of industry leaders and the important journey towards simple and strong passwordless authentication.”
Ping Identity and Yubico surveyed 600 IT leaders and decision-makers from large organisations (10,000+ employees) across the U.S., Europe, and Australia to better understand their key security concerns, at a time when password-related incidents are rising and billions of passwords have been exposed from data breaches. The findings underscore the dire limitations and risks of passwords and the burden they place on users and the help desk.
You can read the full report here.
