News
NordPass Shines Light On Poor Password Hygiene
The word “password” is the second most commonly used password by people who are in charge of important organizations.
It’s often said that people are the weakest link in the cybersecurity chain, and the latest research from NordPass, a provider of the eponymous password manager, certainly confirms this.
NordPass examined over 290 million data breaches worldwide and discovered something alarming: high-ranking business executives and company owners frequently use passwords that are so laughably weak that using them is like begging to be breached.
Just take a look at the top ten most used passwords by CEOs:
| Rank | Password | Count |
| 1 | 123456 | 29,401 |
| 2 | password | 22,511 |
| 3 | 12345 | 11,867 |
| 4 | 123456789 | 10,988 |
| 5 | qwerty | 9,738 |
| 6 | 1234 | 6,520 |
| 7 | qwerty123 | 6,446 |
| 8 | 1q2w3e | 5,809 |
| 9 | 111111 | 5,487 |
| 10 | 12345678 | 5,099 |
As you can see, basic number and letter sequence combinations still dominate, and the fact that the word “password” is the second most commonly used password by people who are in charge of important organizations doesn’t really paint the current cybersecurity landscape in nice colors.
Besides these textbook examples of poor password security, high-ranking business executives and company owners are also fond of common names like “Tiffany” and “Charlie,” and they seem to like animals and mythical creatures, with “dragon” and “monkey” being the top animal- and creature-themed passwords.
Also Read: Is Your Phone Hacked? How To Find Out & Protect Yourself
“It is unbelievable how similar we all think, and this research simply confirms that,” says NordPass CEO Jonas Karklys. “Everyone from gamer teenagers to company owners are targets of cyber-crimes, and the only difference is that business entities, as a rule, pay a higher price for their unawareness,” he adds.
To better protect themselves, all employees should avoid password reuse at all costs, and a good password manager like NordPass can make this much easier. They should also turn on multi-factor authentication when possible for an added layer of security.
News
NEOPAY Wants To Follow Merchants Across Channels And Borders
A controlling 65% stake in noon payments would give NEOPAY access to marketplace sellers, online merchants and the payment flows they generate.
It’s been a long time since checkouts were single defined places. A merchant might take payments at a physical register, on its own website and through an online marketplace, sometimes in more than one country. NEOPAY wants to follow those transactions wherever they happen.
The UAE payments company has entered into an agreement to acquire a 65% controlling stake in noon payments. NEOPAY already runs the acquiring infrastructure that lets merchants accept card payments, along with omnichannel acceptance and a merchant services platform. This new deal would add noon payments’ embedded payments platform, e-commerce gateway and merchant network across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. That would considerably expand both NEOPAY’s digital commerce capabilities and its regional reach.
For merchants, the attraction is a single provider for online and in-store payments, plus faster settlements, data and analytics, and value-added financial services.
“Payments should be simple, reliable, and built for the markets they serve,” said Faraz Khalid, CEO of noon. His counterpart at NEOPAY, Vibhor Mundhada, added: “We have built a strong payments business in the UAE, and our ambition is now to take that capability across the region”. The acquisition, Mundhada added, would “expand our footprint into Saudi Arabia and Egypt” while reinforcing NEOPAY’s position at home.
Also Read: In Kuwait, Your Surgeon Might Be Operating From Another Country
NEOPAY is also keen to point out potential payment volume increases. The company says noon payments’ integrations with marketplace sellers and online merchants create high transaction density in some of the region’s fastest-growing digital commerce segments. It also believes control of the business would give it access to those merchant relationships and payment flows, and speed up the rollout of alternative payment methods and installment options.
The combined roadmap targets faster merchant onboarding, better payment performance, tighter fraud controls and embedded financial services. The deal could also strengthen cross-border payments and settlement along key regional commerce corridors.
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