World Password Day Quotes from Industry Experts in 2025

“As we recognize World Password Day, it’s time to acknowledge a fundamental matter in identity security. Credentials are the keys to the castle. Passwords alone cannot safeguard our digital identities in today’s complex, hybrid environments. Identity-based vulnerabilities have become the primary attack vector for modern breaches.

“Our research reveals alarming statistics across industries: passwords unchanged for 15+ years in financial institutions, 74 percent of healthcare credentials remain unchanged for over 90+ days, and widespread credential sharing in critical infrastructure. The basics are critical. Without proper cyber hygiene, enterprises across the globe will continue to be victims of bad actors.

“Weak or unchanged passwords across human and non-human identities create a dangerous, often overlooked security gap that can quickly go from a headache for security teams to a full-blown breach. A dormant service account or an orphaned human account with an old or weak password is a bad actor’s most exciting find. Utilizing complex passwords, refreshing them every 3 months, using multifactor authentication when available, and investing in modern identity security solutions are necessary to minimize the likelihood of a breach.

“That’s why password hygiene remains a cornerstone of effective identity security. The ability to detect and assess credential age, behavioral anomalies, and lifecycle blind spots across all identities is critical. Identity security isn’t just about who has access—it’s about how that access is managed, monitored, and secured over time. Not only this, you need the tools to actually know the identity behind the account and that they are who they say they are.

“Passwords aren’t disappearing, but their importance in our security strategies must be properly acknowledged within the broader identity ecosystem. It may be an aging technology, but they remain a top attack vector and we need to treat them, and the accounts they protect, with the same seriousness we give to any other security asset.”

Randolph Barr, CISO of Cequence

“World Password Day is a great time to remind people about the importance of maintaining good password practices. Passwords are the most important line of defense for organizational and personal information, which means they are also a top target for threat actors.

“Passwords still are the gatekeepers of our digital identities, but relying on traditional passwords is simply not enough. Cyber-criminals are getting smarter when attacking passwords, especially those tied to privileged accounts, to breach networks and access sensitive data. With 80 percent of security breaches involving the misuse of privileged credentials, it’s clear that organizations must adopt a Privileged Access Management (PAM) approach, combined with Zero Trust principles for data protection.

“It’s essential to use World Password Day as a reminder that password security alone isn’t enough. We must never assume trust, especially privileged accounts, and always verify every access request. By taking control of who has access to what, when, and how, organizations can significantly reduce the risk of breaches. Smart identity security starts with Zero Trust and PAM, because data safety begins with stronger, verified access.”

Tony Ball, President of Payments and Identity at Entrust

Erich Kron, Security Awareness Advocate at KnowBe4

“Reusing passwords across different websites and services can be a catastrophic mistake. If there is a data breach at a website and bad actors are able to steal the passwords, they use a technique called credential stuffing to try the usernames and passwords to access various popular websites such as credit card portals, retail websites, or banking accounts. This is how a password stolen from a hobby forum could lead to a bank account being compromised.

Ashish Jain, CTO at OneSpan

“World Passkey Day is a reminder that the future of authentication is here—and it’s passwordless. Passwords have long been a point of vulnerability, often leading to breaches and user frustration. Passkeys represent a meaningful step toward improving both security and usability, moving us closer to a more resilient digital infrastructure. They’re especially valuable in securing high-risk interactions like financial transactions, where strong, phishing-resistant authentication is critical.

“FIDO passkeys take traditional authentication a step further by using cryptographic credentials stored on a user’s device, ensuring identity verification and security. This method strengthens authentication across desktops and mobile devices, creating a more secure digital environment. As the adoption of passkeys grows, I’m confident they will be key to transforming how we protect our most sensitive online interactions.”

Patrick Harding, Chief Product Architect at Ping Identity

“Passwords have long been a security crutch; in today’s digital landscape, they’re quickly becoming a liability. Users continue to rely on weak, repurposed credentials, making them easy targets for sophisticated cyber-attacks fueled by AI. Recent data shows that 87 percent of consumers are concerned about identity fraud, yet many still depend on outdated methods to secure their most sensitive data. Even worse, 48 percent of IT leaders admit they’re not confident their current defenses can withstand AI-driven attacks. That should be a wake-up call. With the rise in phishing, credential stuffing, and deepfake scams, it’s time for organizations to retire traditional passwords altogether.

“In the spirit of World Password Day, we must double down on access solutions that eliminate the guesswork and the risk. Passwordless authentication, like biometrically protected passkeys and secure device-based login, not only strengthens security but also improves the user experience. Organizations must embrace a future where identity is both frictionless and fundamentally more secure.”

Denny LeCompte, CEO of Portnox

“While Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) has been lauded as a critical security layer, our recent findings indicate a growing unease among security leaders. A staggering 99 percent of CISOs worry that MFA alone doesn’t adequately protect their organizations, with concerns amplified in younger companies. The consensus is clear: 100 percent believe MFA struggles to keep pace with the evolving threat landscape.

“This reality is driving interest in passwordless authentication methods. With compromised passwords implicated in a significant majority (81 percent) of breaches, the appeal of eliminating them entirely is obvious. While only a small fraction (7 percent) of organizations have fully embraced passwordless solutions, a substantial number (32 percent) have begun or completed implementation, and a further 63 percent are actively planning or open to adoption.

“The benefits are compelling: over half of CISOs anticipate stronger access control and an improved employee experience. However, challenges such as cost, complexity, and potential user resistance need to be addressed for widespread adoption.

“The journey towards a more secure, passwordless future requires a strategic approach. Organizations must prioritize robust identity verification processes, such as certificate-based authentication, and embrace a Zero Trust security model. Continuous risk assessment, employee education, and a strong security culture are also crucial components.

“While passwords may not disappear overnight, the momentum towards passwordless authentication is building. World Password Day is an opportune time to acknowledge the password headache and explore and embrace the promising alternatives that can truly enhance our digital security. The future of access is increasingly looking less like a complex string of characters and more like a seamless, secure experience.”

Melissa Bischoping, Head of Security Research at Tanium

“On this World Password Day, it’s worth reflecting on how far we’ve come, and how far we still need to go in securing our digital identities. The humble password has been a cornerstone of how we access data and technology since 1961, when MIT’s Compatible Time-Sharing System (CTSS) became the first system to leverage modern passwords for safeguarding access to private files. In the 64 years since, passwords have evolved in length, complexity, and character requirements, but despite these advancements, they’ve also introduced layers of complexity to the user experience, resulting in a more burdensome method of securing identity and file access.

“Today, the average user manages 80-100 passwords, more than most of us can possibly keep track of. As a result, we’ve entered the era of password managers, in other words, one ‘super password’ to secure all the others. On the surface, this is a major step forward in usability (and an essential method to encourage users to use complex, unique passwords for every account), but we’re still not getting it quite right when it comes to password security. Here are a few key tips to strengthen password security.

For software providers:

• MFA should be mandatory and not locked behind a premium subscription tier.
• All apps should enable single-sign-on (SSO) by default for easier management of secure accounts.
• Don’t make it unnecessarily difficult to update or change credentials; this will make the user more likely to stick to the outdated, weaker password.
• Software providers should spend more time on meaningful user experience research and design for password management.

For technology users:

• Secure your primary password with additional levels of protection like robust, phishing-resistant MFA
• Use at least one form of MFA; for most users, any MFA is better than none.
• For better security, use passkeys or hardware tokens (like Yubikeys) over passwords paired with SMS-based MFA.
• Take advantage of password manager features like password audits, reuse detection, and breach alerts.
• Review your cell phone provider’s offerings for additional layers of security to prevent a SIM-swapping attack.
• Review your email provider’s additional security features that can be enabled; this is especially important since email accounts are often used as a password recovery option for OTHER accounts.
• Using more secure alternatives, like passkeys, in modern operating systems and apps can help less-technical family and friends adopt stronger data protections.
• Regularly check the security of SSO accounts used for logging into platforms like Google, Facebook, and Apple ID. An attacker can use these individual accounts as the ‘keys to the kingdom,’ so they warrant additional protections.

Carla Roncato, VP of Identity at WatchGuard

“Today, it’s not just careless password reuse or weak combinations that pose a threat—it’s the industrial-scale theft and sale of login data. Credentials are harvested through phishing, malware, and breaches, then packaged, sold, and exploited at astonishing speed. A single leaked password doesn’t just unlock one account; it can be a skeleton key to an entire digital identity.

“Dark web marketplaces function with the efficiency of e-commerce platforms, complete with customer service and user reviews. For as little as a few dollars, attackers can purchase verified credentials tied to financial services, corporate VPNs, or personal email accounts. Once inside, they move laterally, escalate privileges, and often remain undetected for weeks or months.

“On this World Password Day, the question is no longer ‘Are your passwords strong enough?’ but ‘Do you know if your credentials are already out there?'”

“Organizations must treat credential exposure as a threat to be hunted and mitigated, not just a hygiene issue. That means proactive monitoring of the dark web, real-time alerting on compromised credentials, and an incident response plan that assumes breach, not just tries to prevent it. Cyber-criminals have evolved. It’s time our mindset around password security evolves, too.

Munu Gandhi, President of IT Solutions at Xerox