Almost every Android smartphone user has a Google that is also connected to other company services, such as YouTube, Gmail, Docs, etc. The same account can also be used to log in to third-party apps. And although Google warns its users not to use the same password across these apps, many continue to do so.
"You should not reuse your Google Account password across third-party apps," YouTube's new terms of service state.
Most users have accounts in various applications and services and it is certainly not always easy for them to remember many different passwords.
According to a Microsoft, a user has 25 different accounts on average, but only 6.5 different passwords, which means the same password is used on at least 4 accounts.
Google provides two-factor verification, which requires not only a password but also a special verification key to access an account. This means that even if a hackersteals a user's password, they won't be able to get into their account.
The problem is that this option is not used in most cases. And, even if it is used, the same two-step verification may not apply to third-party apps.
Therefore, if a hacker steals a password from a less secure application, they will gain access to multiple accounts, as the password to them will be shared.
Researchers found that the majority of online users often feel overwhelmed and confused by the constant bombardment of news about various security issues, which don't seem to vary much from one another, a condition known as Security Fatigue. This often results in them not caring as much about whether to reuse their passwords.
