The findings came through in a consumer study from Uswitch, looking at how people in the UK go about mobile phone security.

With today’s phones, facial scans and fingerprints (biometrics) are replacing passwords as the first line of defence. But biometrics are seen by some hackers as no more than a barrier according to the report, rather than being a helpful way to defend information.

While fingerprints and facial scans are somewhat effective to secure phone and apps, a strong password remains the best. This is because facial scans can be unreliable as the face is subject to change, and fingerprints can be found and mimicked by a savvy attacker.

While half of all users use a PIN or password to lock their phone, just about half (49%) of users between 16-24 used facial scans to unlock their phone, compared to 17% in the 55+ group. This makes it the fastest growing way security method. According to the survey, 7% of smartphone users use no lock whatsoever. 

The report suggests implementing two-factor authentication (2FA) into the protection of accounts. 2FA verifies a person’s identity by contacting them on another personal channel such as text message or email, to confirm the attempted login. However, 28% of smartphone users do not use 2FA due to it being too complicated or it taking too much effort.

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Hacked accounts can be devastating for the victims, with all of their personal information and account details on the line. The survey found that over a quarter (27%) of smartphone users had their online accounts hacked at least once, with that percentage growing to 38% in the 16-24 age range, compared to 14% in the 55+ range. 

This data points to the fact that youth are most at risk of online attacks through smartphones. According to the survey, they must adopt more secure measures such as passwords and PINs, as well as 2FA to mitigate this. 

Uswitch shared general password safety tips for users looking for added protection to implement this World Password Day:

Password dos:

• Spell out a memorable phrase using a mix of numbers, symbols, and acronyms, for example: T3rRy550c1alMed!Ac1234 (Terry’s Social Media Account).
• You can do the above to customise for each site.
• Use your keyboard as a canvas to draw or write something memorable to you.
• Use a password manager if you think you won’t remember them.
• Make it as long as possible and use lowercase, uppercase, numbers, and symbols in every password.

Password don’ts:

• Don’t write your password down. Not on paper, not in an email, not anywhere.
• Don’t reuse passwords across accounts.
• Avoid using loved ones’ names.
• Avoid using memorable keyboard paths such as “123456” or “qwerty.”
• Don’t tell anyone your password.