For PlayStation users who’s been on the internet, most people have probably forgotten a password at least once along the way. To that, a study from NordPass has revealed the most forgotten passwords for those worldwide, breaking down each English-speaking country. For us here in Canada, the results show a top ten list which sees a not-so-shocking look at what sites Canadians are clicking the “Forgot My Password” which sees a lot of familiar and popular services, alone in the top 10 for gaming is Sony PlayStation accounts which are ranked at seventh most forgotten passwords for Canadians; the full rank breakdown is down below
1. Apple ID
2. Facebook
3. Gmail
4. Instagram
5. Outlook
6. iPhone
7. Sony PlayStation
8. Spotify
9. macOS
10. Windows
The method of the study itself reaches its conclusion by “exploring frequently forgotten passwords by examining user search behaviour” which was collected by Nordpass through keywords associated with password resetting and determined how often users searched for such information on Google monthly. sourced by publicly available information from statista.com, and other official websites. In a statement, Nordpass CTO, Tomas Smalakys that the data from the company’s study reveals that people are not resetting passwords for the sites they use but specifically the popular ones with recognizable brand identity.
The overall results break down that most offenders to lead internet users to go down the ‘forgotten route include social media platforms (31.5 percent), email service providers (24.4 percent), and single sign-on (SSO) websites (i.e., Google, Microsoft). For those on their gaming accounts, passwords for games, gaming consoles, gaming publishers, and entertainment websites and applications make up 13.9 percent. The reason that PlayStation is alone on the gaming front is that an Xbox account is tied to a user’s Microsoft account (i.e. Windows / Outlook) so that number may already be accounted for through the study just not strictly ‘Xbox’ in the study; possibly going through the resetting process on PC instead.
“We have hundreds of passwords in our possession. Therefore, forgetting a password, which you considered unforgettable when creating it, is only natural. Although it also raises the question of why, instead of adopting healthier password management practices, we repeatedly find ourselves in the ‘reset your password’ cycle,” Smalakys said in a press release.
To avoid password reset in the future, Smalakys in an FAQ section advises users to “adopt a password manager,” “Give passkey a try,” or “keep track of the accounts you have.”
