Business & Technology
Millions of UK adults reuse passwords, survey warns
DTP Group has published new survey findings on password reuse among UK adults, as executives from Roboshadow and Mimecast warn that attackers are increasingly exploiting human behaviour and weak cyber discipline rather than password strength alone.
The Leeds-based company found that one in eight UK adults, or 12.45 per cent of respondents, use a single password across every account. Censuswide surveyed 1,000 UK adults, and the results were extrapolated using an Office for National Statistics estimate of 54 million adults.
Applied nationally, the data suggests more than six million people in the UK could rely on a single credential across email, banking, shopping and social media. Just 19.12 per cent said they use a unique password for every account, implying that around four in five adults reuse passwords to some degree.
More than a third of respondents, 36.23 per cent, said they rely on between one and three passwords for all their online services. Nearly 60 per cent use six or fewer passwords in total, a pattern that could leave an estimated 32 million people vulnerable if one breached service exposes other accounts.
The number of digital services people manage has grown faster than the number of unique passwords they use. DTP found that 69 per cent of respondents manage between one and 20 password-protected accounts, while only a minority maintain enough distinct passwords to cover them all.
Official fraud statistics point to a related rise in account compromise. Action Fraud recorded 35,434 reports of social media and email account breaches in 2024, up from 22,500 a year earlier. Investigators and industry analysts often cite weak or reused credentials as a root cause.
Security leaders argue that the conversation around World Password Day now extends beyond password complexity rules. Roboshadow Founder and Chief Executive Terry Lewis said modern tools give organisations more visibility into attempted intrusions, but only if they are used consistently.
“World Password Day made sense when passwords were the front line of security, but in 2026, that’s no longer the case.”
“Today, most organisations already have access to enterprise-grade security by default. Multifactor authentication is widely available, passkeys are native to modern devices, and hardware-backed protections like TPM are standard. The issue isn’t technology. It’s discipline, and whether organisations use it consistently.”
“In the AI era, attackers aren’t manually guessing passwords. They’re using automation to continuously scan, probe and enumerate environments at scale. Whether it’s a weak credential, an exposed API key, or a forgotten device, anything visible will eventually be tested.”
The real shift is that enumeration is no longer silent, and organisations can detect it.
Modern security tooling, including SIEM and SOC capabilities, is now more accessible than ever. That means organisations can see when accounts are probed, when credentials are tested, and when unusual authentication patterns emerge, even in environments using MFA or passkeys. AI hasn’t broken security, but it has dramatically increased the volume and persistence of these attempts. It creates constant background noise from systems being tested, credentials being tried and access points being explored.
The organisations that win aren’t those with the most complex or longest password policies. They are the ones that can see this activity, understand it and respond quickly.
In 2026, security isn’t about better passwords. It’s about cyber discipline and the everyday operational habits that keep environments clean, visible and resilient.”
Industry attention has also shifted to how employees respond to phishing attempts and fake login prompts designed to harvest credentials. Mimecast field Chief Information Security Officer Beth Miller said the quality and timing of these lures has improved as attackers adopt generative AI.
“World Password Day is a useful moment, but the industry keeps having the wrong conversation. The question was never ‘are your passwords strong enough?’ It’s ‘why do attackers keep getting through even when they are?'” Miller said.
“AI has changed the equation. The fake login pages I’m seeing now are indistinguishable from the real thing. The lures are contextually accurate, timed well, and crafted to exploit exactly the pressure employees are already under. Credential theft isn’t a technical failure – it’s a behavioural one, and we’ve been slow to treat it that way.”
“Our State of Human Risk data exposes a three-part problem. First, 91% of organisations acknowledge obstacles to employee compliance – they know their people are a risk factor. Second, 96% recognise their protection is incomplete – they know their defences have gaps. Third, nearly three-quarters are still running fragmented defences where people-focused and technology-focused controls never talk to each other. Attackers don’t exploit what organisations fail to see. They exploit what organisations see but fail to connect. That gap – between recognition and action – is where incidents happen.”
“Passwords aren’t going away, and proper password hygiene still matters. But hygiene alone isn’t a strategy. What organisations need is the combination: identity protection at the access layer, real-time detection at the technical layer, and behavioural instrumentation at the human layer. The third is the most underinvested. It is also exactly where attackers are focused.”
Jayden, 13 launched Jay’s Bakes from his home in Taunton Road in Bicester on Saturday, June 20.
His late nan, a keen baker herself, was the inspiration behind his passion, as well as time spent helping his uncle with his catering business.
Over the last 18 months he has honed his skills by preparing sweat treats every day after school.
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Determined to turn his hobby into something more, Jayden spent two and a half months researching requirements, gaining his Level 2 food hygiene certificate and officially registering his business, mostly without adult intervention.
After four days of preparation, the business officially launched.
Customers were treated to a wide selection of homemade goods, including M&M cookies, Kinder brownies, Biscoff cookies, Victoria sponge trays, lemon drizzle cups and viral ‘dot cakes’.
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His Kinder brownies proved particularly popular, and by the end of the day he had sold out of everything, taking £210.
Despite feeling “excited and a bit nervous” beforehand, Jayden said the opening was a success, with a strong turnout and positive feedback shared on social media.
His favourite moment came when he officially opened the shed by cutting the ribbon.
Supported by his mum, stepdad, grandparents and uncle, Jayden first began selling from a table in May before building and painting his now-signature blue cake shed.
He now plans to continue baking and selling regularly, bringing his creations to the local community.
Lidl has been given planning permission to build its ninth supermarket in Oxfordshire, despite concerns over flooding.
Aldi opened in Didcot in 2015 and has a supermarket at the Jubilee Way roundabout but shoppers in the town have had to wait over a decade for Lidl to follow.
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South Oxfordshire District Council has now backed plans by the German retailer for a new supermarket in Abingdon Road.
Former Didcot mayor Mocky Khan said: “This give the residents of Didcot more choice, especially when you consider the cost of living environment we have at the moment.
“The town is growing with more new homes being built, and with more growth it’s good to have a wide variety of supermarkets to fit all budgets,”
The plans for the new supermarket were first submitted in 2024.
Didcot Town Council previously objected to the scheme, on the grounds of a lack of flood risk mitigation measures, along with the county council who said there was “insufficient information”.
The town council noted there are “several flooding incidents in the area, especially when the Marsh Bridge water pumps fail”.
But in a report by planning officers granting permission to the supermarket, those issues have now been addressed by Lidl.
The officers said the proposals “largely accord” with the policies around planning, and more can be done to “break up” the car park with greenery.
Planning officers chose to let Lidl build the new supermarket subject to conditions.
They said in a report: “Balanced against this policy conflict is the fact that this is a previously developed site, which is currently in a dilapidated state.
“The proposals represent a significant improvement on the current underutilisation of the site and on its appearance.
“The National Planning Policy Framework and Local Plan set out significant support for the reuse of previously developed land.
“As stated in the applicant’s planning statement, there have been previous enquiries as to the redevelopment of the site that have not come to fruition.
“Given this, finding a viable use for the site is a clear benefit which I consider to be of substantial benefit.”
Thirty-four residents had objected to Lidl’s plans, highlighting concerns over extra traffic, there being no need for another supermarket in the town and there being more appropriate locations to build in their view.
Didcot already has an Aldi store just off Broadway and a Sainsbury’s, M&S Foodhall and Asda.
The nearest Lidl to the proposed site are in Lupton Road, Wallingford, and Marcham Road in Abingdon.
Three people wrote in to support the new Lidl, recognising the benefits of a discount food store and the further jobs it will create.
Lidl has said its proposals for a Didcot supermarket would deliver 40 full-time equivalent jobs as well as further employment during the construction phase.
No opening date was given by the retailer, while the developer is currently on site progressing with the enabling works.
A spokesman said: “We’ve seen demand for our affordable, high-quality products continue to rise in Oxfordshire, and we are committed to serving more communities in the area.
“Our new store will create around 40 new jobs and build on our continued growth.
“We’re excited to be a step closer to opening this store and thank everyone who has supported us on our journey so far.”
It also said the £12m investment would work with the 6,300 new homes allocated to be built, as per the local plan.
Dalcour Maclaren, a specialist in utilities and infrastructure, announced the news on June 22, following a detailed assessment of its operations, including governance, employee wellbeing, environmental impact, and social responsibility.
James Neil, CEO of Dalcour Maclaren, said: “This is a fantastic achievement for Dalcour Maclaren.
“B Corp status gives us the official badge that recognises everything that matters most to us in our culture, our values, and how we make decisions for our people and our clients. We thrive on doing things differently at DM and B Corp absolutely endorses this.”
The certification means the company meets rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.
Dalcour Maclaren now joins more than 10,000 B Corps worldwide and over 2,600 in the UK, including well-known names such as The Guardian, Innocent Drinks, Patagonia, and The Big Issue.
Chris Turner, CEO of B Lab UK, said: “Welcoming Dalcour Maclaren to the B Corp community is hugely exciting. Its commitment to doing business differently will be an inspiration to others and will help spread the notion that success in business is as much about people and planet as it is profit.”
Dalcour Maclaren operates across the UK and Ireland, supporting major projects in energy, water, transport, and digital infrastructure. The company’s services include land, planning, environment, stakeholder engagement, and geospatial services.
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