You've been hacked: 6 in 10 Singaporeans ignore changing passwords

It's high time that Singaporeans learn 'good cyber hygiene'.

According to a survey by Assurity Trusted Solutions, claims of email and social networking accounts being hacked into and personal data and photos being stolen for criminal use are becoming more frequent in Singapore and globally, but despite this, most Singaporeans are still not protecting their online accounts with cyber-safe practices such as using unique passwords and changing their passwords regularly, much less activating two-factor authentication (2FA).

Here's more from Assurity:

50 to 60 percent of Singaporeans do not change their passwords in their online accounts. The survey results show that social networking (82 percent of all respondents) followed by online banking (72 percent) and online shopping (71 percent) are Singaporeans' most popular online activities at home. The survey results also show that 60 percent of the respondents who file tax returns online never change their passwords; 7 percent do so quarterly as recommended. Furthermore, 59 percent of the respondents who use other government services never change their passwords.

For users of online banking services, 10 percent of respondents change their passwords quarterly as recommended; 52 percent of respondents never change their passwords. For security traders who trade online, 54 percent of the respondents never change their passwords; only 9 percent change their passwords quarterly. 45 percent of all respondents do not have different passwords for all their online accounts.

Mr Chai Chin Loon, Chief Operating Officer of Assurity said, “Good cyber hygiene practices are generally lacking across the board. Starting with first-factor authentication (1FA), passwords should be changed quarterly. Always use complex passwords comprising at least one upper-case letter, one lower-case letter, a special character and a number. Finally, avoid using the same password for all your online accounts. Use a unique password for each account.”

The survey results also show that 74 percent of the respondents acknowledge 2FA as a key element of an ideal security protocol.

“Clearly, the failure to activate 2FA is not due to a lack of awareness. End users should also activate 2FA whenever possible to strengthen their online security,” said Chin Loon.