The Hidden Cost of Recurring Credential Incidents

This article examines the hidden operational costs of recurring credential incidents beyond high-profile data breaches.

• •Forrester estimates password resets account for up to 30% of all helpdesk tickets, costing ~$70 each in staff time and lost productivity
• •Vague password error messages push users toward insecure workarounds like reusing old passwords with minor tweaks
• •Time-based mandatory resets (every 60–90 days) produce predictable, weaker passwords and more lockouts without improving security
• •NIST now recommends resetting passwords only when there is evidence of a breach, not on arbitrary schedules
• •Tools like Specops Password Policy scan user accounts against 5.8 billion+ compromised passwords to detect exposed credentials proactively