Amazon, Groupon among sites with worst password security: Study

Recent studies continually reveal the dismaying frequency of poor password security measures on high-traffic websites. As cybercrime rates escalate, these findings underscore the vital need for improved cyber safety efforts.

Dashlane’s recent Password Security Roundup report provides detail on this alarming trend. Through the analysis of 80 different websites across six key sectors – social networking, e-commerce, travel, productivity, dating, and cybersecurity – Dashlane found that more than 80% of these platforms do not meet basic password safety standards. As a prominent password management company, Dashlane’s findings give a cause for worry.

The results show concerning trends: 51% of the studied platforms do not temporarily lock accounts after 10 failed login attempts; unsurprisingly weak passwords, such as ‘123456’ or ‘password’, were accepted by 43% of the websites; moreover, an astounding 86% did not satisfy Dashlane’s criteria for a secure website.

Dashlane used a scoring range from -100 to 100 to rate password security, stating that a minimum score of 50 indicates that a website has decent safety measures in place for password protocols.

Notably underperforming was the dating service Match.com due to its lax password policies, trailed closely by Hulu and Overstock. Match.com had the dubious distinction of allowing users to set passwords as simple as ‘a’.

The list of underperformers also included esteemed industry giants like Amazon, Groupon, Orbitz, and Victoria’s Secret. The companies were notified of their subpar scores when the confidential report was made public.

In response, Orbitz reaffirmed their dedication to robust security protocols, extending beyond password safety. Additionally, they mentioned their use of industry-standard security measures that allow passwords of up to 32 characters.

On the other hand, Apple set a sterling example, earning the top spot with a perfect score of 100. It was closely followed by Hotmail, the Microsoft Store website, and UPS.

Updated in 2025 to align with recent developments.