by William Bruce
Dashlane, a website password security company, has surveyed the top 100 American online retailers to assess their password security policies. The survey produced surprising results.
Apple received the highest rating and was the only retailer to receive a perfect score, while Newegg, Microsoft, Chegg and Target, surprisingly, rounded out the other highest scoring online retailers.
MLB.com, Karmaloop and Dick’s Sporting Goods received the lowest scores. Amazon, Walmart, Victoria’s Secret and Toys “R” Us were also among the lowest ranked sites.
Some key findings:
- 55 percent of online retailers still accept notoriously weak passwords such as “123456” or “password.”
- 51 percent make no attempt to block entry after 10 incorrect password entries including Amazon, Dell, Best Buy, Macy’s and Williams-Sonoma.
- 61 percent to do not provide any advice on how to create a strong password during sign up, and 93 percent do not provide an on-screen password strength assessment.
- Eight sites including Toys “R” Us, J.Crew and 1-800Flowers.com send passwords in plain text via email.
Listed below from best to worst are the rankings of America’s top 100 online retailers:
- Apple
- Microsoft
- Chegg
- Newegg
- Target
- Williams-Sonoma
- CDW
- Amway
- Musician’s Friend
- Nike
- Best Buy
- WW Grainger
- Walgreens
- Express
- Sony
- Abercombie & Fitch
- Bass Pro Outdoor
- CVS
- MSC Industrial Supply
- Hayneedle
- Oriental Trading Co.
- The Children’s Place Retail Stores
- OfficeMax
- Nordstrom
- Deluxe Corp.
- Crate and Barrel
- American Eagle
- Ann Inc.
- Sears
- Dell
- Neiman Marcus
- Saks
- Lowe’s
- LL Bean
- Avon Products
- DSW
- JC Penny
- Foot Locker
- Costco
- Gap
- Green Mountain Coffee
- GameStop
- Chico’s FAS
- Gilt Groupe
- Estee Lauder
- PC Connection
- HSN
- Etsy
- The Home Depot
- Staples
- Barnes and Noble
- ShopNBC
- CafePress
- Office Depot
- Macy’s
- HP Home/Office Store
- Rakuten
- Cabela’s
- Ralph Lauren
- Build
- Sierra Trading Post
- Northern Tool
- Amazon
- Walmart
- Kohl’s
- Fingerhut (Bluestern Brands)
- Scholastic Inc.
- Eddie Bauer
- 1 Sale a Day
- Victoria’s Secret
- Overstock
- Vistaprint
- Fanatics
- Urban Outfitters
- Shutterfly
- Wayfair
- PCM
- Groupon
- REI
- Blue Nile
- Fresh Direct
- RueLaLa
- Zulily
- 1-800 Contacts
- Disney Store
- Net-A-Porter
- Hulu
- Shoebuy
- Edible Arrangement
- Restoration Hardware
- 1-800 Flowers
- Vitacost
- Nutrisystem
- American Girl
- J. Crew
- Toys R Us
- Aeropostale
- Dick’s Sporting Goods
- Karmaloop
- MLB
To review the full study results, please click here.
It would be such an easy thing to do, to provide suggestions to create a more secure password.
Tyler, here’s a good article I found with advice on how to create strong passwords: http://www.thegeekstuff.com/2008/06/the-ultimate-guide-for-creating-strong-passwords/.