Luxembourg’s professionals are spending the equivalent of more than two days a year logging in to websites, entering passwords, and completing security checks, according to estimates that highlight the growing time burden of digital authentication and an unconsidered dimension to cybercrime.

As our personal computer devices and work systems observe a rise in a multi-factor authentication (MFA) and frequent password changes amid a growing surge in AI-driven hacking, the time lost to accessing accounts is mounting.

Logging into accounts, often multiple times a day can be significantly slower when using MFAs as it requires opening a phone, checking a code, and waiting for the system to load.

An increase in more advanced security provisions arises as the latest data from the World Economic Forum suggests cybercrime has doubled in the last five years, 58% in the last two years.

It is thought the average employee spends between 10 and 12 minutes per day on password-related tasks, including entering credentials, resetting forgotten passwords, and approving MFA prompts. Applied to Luxembourg’s 245 working days, that amounts to around 2,450–3,000 minutes annually – or just over 40–50 hours per person each year.

Over a typical 40-year career, that equates to 80–100 working days – more than three months of professional life spent on authenticating devices.

In Luxembourg the figure could be even higher with the Grand Duchy hosting a large number of professional jobs and a higher than average work week of 35.7 hours per week.

A 2024 study by password management firm NordPass found that the average internet user juggles around 168 passwords.

In Luxembourg's key sectors, such as finance, law, and government, the number can also be considerably higher due to strict regulatory requirements and multiple internal systems.

The European Union is pushing for wider adoption of its European Digital Identity Wallet, which aims to give citizens a single secure login for both public and private services. Luxembourg is among the member states piloting the system.

If widely implemented, advocates say it could significantly reduce the daily login burden.