Tech Firm's 2013 Report: 90% of User-Generated Passwords Will Be Vulnerable to Hacking in Seconds

The exponential advancement in technological evolution plays homage to the recent 2013 predictions of Deloitte's Canadian Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) Services claiming that 90% of user-generated passwords will be vulnerable to hacking in a matter of seconds.

You may be asking yourself, what exactly is a user-generated password and how in the world could a hacker guess your supposedly fortified 8+ character password containing mixed-case letters and even non-alphanumeric symbols? Duncan Stewart, co-author of TMT Predictions 2013 and Director Research at Deloitte Canada makes a convincing case in the recent TMT Predictions 2013 report claiming how "a machine running readily available virtualization software and high-powered graphics processing units can crack any eight-character password in about five hours."

Any claim with the slightest bit of merit will naturally warrant a high level of curiosity, especially when it comes to the idea potentially knowing that virtually all passwords created by humans can be cracked in such a short period of time. There had been many instances when computer security experts reemphasized their case for using strong passwords. There are even free tools available on the Internet to rate the strength of a user-generated password. From the predictions of the TMT 2013 report, it seems any password, no matter how 'strong' it is determined to be, is susceptible to being deciphered.

Most computer users know that human error is inevitable and will occasionally lead to vulnerabilities within a system's security be discovered. The same thing goes for user-generated passwords. The tendency for a human to re-use passwords has been an issue from day-one of password being required for a login on a computer. Even still, using passwords for multiple accounts only makes matters worse.

Another astonishing revelation in the TMT Predictions 2013 report reveals that the PC is not dead or a steadily dying breed of technology. More than 80% of Internet traffic is predicted to be generated on traditional personal computers (ie: desktops, laptops). To factor it all in as a comparison, 70% of those using tablets and smartphones will at one time be using a PC, including work and home usage.

Among other predictions made in the report, the idea of mobile advertising emerging and bring your own computer (BYOC) policies in workplaces will continue on a slow adoption path were also mentioned.

The future of malware and cyber-attacks could be a balancing act in limbo if the idea of passwords being vulnerable on the scale that the 2013 TMT Prediction report states. Despite the increasing security risks and careless Internet users, we still recommend utilizing a strongly formed password. Even if 90% of user-generated passwords are put on a path to destruction in the near future, you would be in the best position when the time comes by taking heed to the current warnings.