Singaporeans score poorly on security survey

Singaporeans are not doing enought to keep their online accounts safe, such as using unique passwords, changing passwords regularly, and the use of two-factor authentication (2FA), according to a survey by Assurity Trusted Solutions.

Released Thursday, the survey showed 60 percent of respondents who file their tax returns online and 59 percent who use other government services do not change their passwords. Some 45 percent participants also do not have different passwords for all their online accounts, it said.

Of those who use online banking services, 10 percent change their passwords quarterly as recommended, while 52 percent never change their passwords. As for online security traders, 9 percent change their passwords quarterly and 54 percent of them never do. "Good cyber hygiene practices are generally lacking across the board," Chai Chin Loon, chief operating officer (COO) of Assurity, noted in a statement.