Password 
When it comes to password managers, there are a few common misconceptions, such as them being too risky to trust, vendors being unable to handle outages,
3 min read
Published on September 19, 2022
Updated on August 13, 2024.
You should stop reusing the same password for multiple accounts because if a cybercriminal gets a hold of that password, they can gain access to every account that uses it. Since the average person has 20 or more online accounts, it’s difficult to remember passwords for multiple accounts. As a result, you may reuse the same password to make it easier to log in. However, this can put you at risk of account compromise and having your personal information stolen.
Continue reading to learn more about the risks of reusing the same passwords and how to avoid reusing the same password across multiple accounts.
How common is password reuse?
Password reuse is very common. According to the Keeper® 2022 US Password Practices Report, 56% of people reuse the same passwords across multiple accounts and on average, people reuse the same password across four different apps and websites. While most people reuse passwords because of convenience, they forget to consider the risks associated with reusing the same passwords.
The risks of reusing the same password
The biggest risks of reusing the same password across account are credential stuffing and account takeover attacks, which often lead to identity theft and financial losses.
Credential stuffing
Credential stuffing is when a cybercriminal uses a set of exposed credentials to attempt to gain access to multiple accounts. Cybercriminals often use credentials that have been stolen from data breaches to execute credential stuffing. If you don’t change a reused password following a public data breach, cybercriminals can use credential-stuffing attacks to take advantage of accounts that you probably forgot existed.
Account takeover
An account takeover is when a cybercriminal takes control of another user’s account without their permission. Once an account is taken over, the cybercriminal can lock a user out of their account and steal their personal information. Cybercriminals can then sell this stolen information on the dark web or use it for their own malicious purposes.
Identity theft
Since reusing passwords can lead to account compromise, this allows cybercriminals to also gain access to your sensitive information. This is especially true if the account that was compromised by the cybercriminal is one that contains your Personally Identifiable Information (PII) such as your full name, home address and Social Security number. If a cybercriminal gains access to this information, they could use to steal your identity which can be difficult to recover from.
Financial loss
In addition to stealing your identity due to password reuse, it could also lead to financial loss if the account that was compromised was on of your financial accounts. This is why it’s extremely important you aren’t reusing passwords across several accounts.
How to prevent password reuse
Apart from making the conscious choice to prevent password recycling, there are other strategies to avoid this harmful practice. Use the tips below to avoid reusing passwords.
Use a password generator
A password generator is a tool that creates strong, unique passwords by randomly combining uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters that never repeat. You should use a password generator to help you generate strong passwords that are always unique.
Store your passwords in a password manager
A password manager is a solution that securely stores and manages your personal information in an encrypted vault. Since password managers can store all of your login credentials, you won’t have to reuse passwords to remember them all. The only password you’ll need to remember is your master password which acts as the key to enter your password vault. Apart from helping you securely generate and store your passwords, a password manager makes logging into your accounts easier since it autofills your credentials whenever you open the website or app you are trying to log in to.
Use a password manager to avoid password reuse
The best way to avoid password reuse is to use a password manager. A password manager helps you create strong, unique passwords and will safely store them in a password vault. You won’t have to worry about remembering all of your different passwords since you can access them all in your password manager.
Ready to protect your online accounts and prevent password reuse? Start a free 30-day trial of Keeper today.
