Password security concerns prevalent among IT leaders

Significant concerns regarding user-generated passwords have been raised by 94% of IT leaders and decision-makers across the U.S., Australia, Germany, France, and the U.K., half of whom noted the weak security of such passwords, TechRepublic reports. Ninety-one percent of respondents noted being very or somewhat concerned regarding the possibility of password theft at their organizations, according to a report from Ping Identity and Yuibco. The findings also showed that password-related IT support incidents have increased by 30% on average, prompting increased worries of IT execs regarding help desk spending. While 65% of surveyed IT leaders would adopt passwordless authentication, most of whom were inclined toward biometrics, most IT and business leaders did not have a sense of urgency regarding the implementation of such technologies, the report showed. Organizations could foster passwordless authentication through centralized authentication solutions, strong collaboration between the IT/security and business departments, an intuitive user interface, and a limited rollout prior to expanded implementation, said Ping Identity Senior Product Marketing Manager Zain Malik.