Ride the Lightning

39% of Americans Use Their Pets’ Names in Their Passwords

May 11, 2022

Say it ain’t so! But of course, it is so.

Mashable reported on May 5^th that a survey released by digital safety platform Aura found 39% of pet owners in the U.S. have “used their pet’s name as part of their password for an online account.”

The survey, which is part of a new public safety awareness campaign geared towards families, was conducted by The Harris Poll comprised of 2,082 people aged 18 years or older. Of the 35 to 44 year-olds, the 39% increases to 50 percent.

So, do you ever post your pet and your pet’s name online – in social media perhaps? Most people do.  

59% have posted a photo of their pet to social media.

48% have posted their pet’s name on social media.

36% of those who have posted their pet’s name on social media have 500 or more followers on their social accounts.

Why would you ever give away information about your password? And if you add an exclamation point after the name, well, that’s child’s play to a hacker. Bella may be a great dog or Luna a great cat – and their names sure are easy to remember.  But you increase your danger by using their names as part (or all) of your passwords.

And the names of children? Same story there. You post their photos and names too, right? Time to upgrade your security!

Sharon D. Nelson, Esq., President, Sensei Enterprises, Inc.
3975 University Drive, Suite 225, Fairfax, VA 22030
Email:   Phone: 703-359-0700
Digital Forensics/Cybersecurity/Information Technology
https://senseient.com
https://twitter.com/sharonnelsonesq
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharondnelson
https://amazon.com/author/sharonnelson