Miscellaneous < 1 min. read

2012 – the Year of the Password Thefts

2012 – the Year of the Password Thefts

2012 may be the greatest year for many things, from fight for internet freedom to figuring out the true power of social media. 2012 is also, at the same time, the greatest and most profitable year for cyber criminals.

This year alone has seen more data security issues than any other year in the internet history. Password thefts are also on the rise, with 22+ million users getting their passwords exposed in a Zappos security breach in January alone.

Where is this all leading to? What we know is that the cyber criminals have started an all out war on online sites where user data is stored. Here’s a great infographic to show what’s been happening this year to give us an idea of where we’re headed:

  1. 12 million pieces of personal info was sold illegally online, compared to 9.5 million in 2011.
  2. 32% of all mobile users save all their login info on their smartphones. When the phone gets stolen, so does that login access.
  3. Password theft online has been the greatest in history in 2012.
2012 - the year of the password thefts
2012 – the year of the password thefts

What is the biggest password shocker for you from the above infographic?

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