For many consumers, keeping track of their online user names and passwords across all of their different devices feels like an impossible task. In fact, when given a list of potentially challenging activities, 40 percent of people surveyed by Norton by Symantec (Nasdaq: SYMC) indicate remembering all of their passwords is among the top three most difficult – more than those who selected balancing their checkbook. Logging into an email or bank account shouldn’t be fraught with stress, guesswork and memory tricks. With Norton Identity Safe, a free, cloud-enabled service, consumers can easily and securely store and synchronize all of their passwords across PCs, Mac computers, iOS devices such as iPhone® and iPad®, and Android™ devices.
Recent Norton research found that 70 percent of people have forgotten a password in the past month. That may explain why people often resort to using weak passwords based on their pet’s name, family member’s name or birthday. However, this puts consumers at risk of identity theft and loss of personal information when a hacker cracks one obvious password and gains access to all of their accounts. Others keep a physical list of passwords at home – not much use for the 48 percent of people who access online accounts on-the-go from their mobile device.
“Too often, people turn to bad password habits – using the same easy password for all of their accounts or writing down a list of passwords and taping it to the computer,” said Marian Merritt, Norton Internet Safety Advocate. “Even though passwords have been around for a long time, the sheer number we all have to remember is constantly increasing. Norton Identity Safe is a simple, secure way to keep track of your personal information, no matter where you go or what device you use.”
To begin using Norton Identity Safe, consumers can visit https://identitysafe.norton.com/ and follow a few simple steps that will free them from ever having to remember another password. Available free of charge, Norton Identity Safe delivers simple, secure password management for PCs, Mac computers, iOS devices such as iPhone and iPad, and Android devices.
Norton Identity Safe features include:
– Multi-platform synchronization – Synchronizes information across platforms and devices, eliminating the hassle of remembering multiple user names, passwords, contact information, credit card numbers. Norton Identity Safe allows users to access their credentials anywhere they go.
– Safe Search & Norton Safe Web – Help consumers protect their identities and avoid potentially risky sites by letting them know whether a site is safe to visit directly from their search results.
– Share– Allows users to safely share online content by sending URLs through email and social networking plugins, directly from Norton Identity Safe.
More information is available at www.symantec.com.
April 24, 2012