World Password Day: The First Thursday in May

The History of World Password Day

The Registrar of the National Day Calendar designated the first Thursday in May every year as World Password Day. The notion was first encouraged by Mark Burnett, author and security researcher, who discussed the idea of a "password day" in his book titled Perfect Passwords. That book, released in 2005, later inspired Intel Security to pursue the establishment of a World Password Day.

In 2013, Intel Security named May's first Thursday as annual World Password Day. Every year since, the world has used the day as an opportunity to refresh themselves on the latest password practices, review their security, and reinforce the importance of secure passwords to those around them.

Here at TeamPassword, we routinely remind our users to follow the best practices of passwords.

Why Is World Password Day Important?

As we move more of our lives and personal information into the digital world, passwords play an increasingly important role in protecting our sensitive data. Of course, far too many of us have poor password hygiene despite the routine advisories and input of security experts.

Did you know that...

• 91 percent of people say they understand the risk of password reuse, but 59 percent do it anyway.
• 14 times is the average number a person reuses a password.
• 13 percent of people use the same password for all of their accounts and devices.
• 80 percent of data breaches are the result of a password compromise.
• 65 percent of data breaches resulted in password leaks.

These numbers are terrifying to security experts, and they should be even scarier for users who have been known to commit these same mistakes. Whether or not you know better, World Password Day is an excellent opportunity to review basic password fundamentals and update your accounts using secure passwords.

What Is World Password Day For?

World Password Day is here to provide companies, experts, and individuals with an annual reminder to review their security practices and reinforce the importance of digital security with those around them. As an individual, you should consider World Password Day a great opportunity to check your online accounts, delete accounts you are no longer using, and update the passwords to your important accounts, like banks and credit cards.

This day of the year may also inspire you to sign up for an identity monitoring service, which can alert you if any of your sensitive information, emails, usernames, or passwords have been discovered as part of a data breach or leak. These services will also check your information and tell you if any of your data is found on the dark web, which could put your accounts at risk of being broken into or stolen.

Practice Better Password Hygiene

So, what should you do this World Password Day to remain secure even as the digital world continues to change and grow? Take this opportunity to...

• Update your old passwords to a longer, stronger one.
• Aim to use passwords with letters, numbers, and special characters.
• Avoid reusing passwords across websites or devices.
• Use two-factor authentication when possible, especially for bank accounts.
• Add a password to secure your wireless router.
• Don't store passwords on paper, in your phone, or in your browser.
• Log out of accounts and out of devices when you're done using them.

While it may seem like a lot at first, once you ingrain good password habits into your day-to-day routine, you'll find that password security comes naturally to you. Every time you create a new account from here on out, you'll find yourself using a unique, secure password — and you'll likely come up with a template to help you remember all of them.

TeamPassword Cares About Security

When it comes to your most important accounts, like your account here at TeamPassword, we care about your security. When you signed up, we required you to use a password that met some basic requirements, but it's up to you to ensure your TeamPassword password is unique, secure, and secret. If you're not a TeamPassword user yet, sign up for a free trial today and put your new password knowledge into action.