Weak passwords put people at risk, study says

BEIJING, September 4 (Xinhuanet) -- Internet users are

leaving themselves open to security risks by adopting weak passwords, a new

study reveals.

British insurer CPP said that too many people are using

things like memorable dates, names of their children and are even sharing them

with friends and colleagues. The survey also found that some 46 percent were

even using the same password to login to banking, shopping and social networking

sites.

More worrying was that of 1,661 Britons questioned, nearly

40 per cent of adults admitted that at least one other person knows their

passwords, ranging from children, colleagues and friends. With phishing and

smishing attacks, as well as malicious software attacks, on the rise, consumers

and Internet users need to be more careful with their personal data.

Phishing is the process whereby criminals attempt to

acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card

details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity, such as a banking website or

email.

Smishing is also becoming more common with unsuspecting

members of the public tricked into giving up sensitive information. Similar to

phishing, smishing uses cell phone text messages or sometimes phone calls to

initiate the attack.

An average person may visit up to 23 different sites that

require a login, and they are becoming an increasing target for fraudsters.

The survey even found that some 39 percent of its

respondent thought that someone else had logged in to a website with their

details. The threat is particularly real with around 18 percent saying goods had

been bought illegally in their name, and one in eight reported to having had

money stolen with the average sum being over 1,000 pounds (1,632 U.S. dollars).

Around 5 percent reported having their identity stolen.

The excuse many gave in using the same passwords across

sites was that they found them too difficult to remember. Others say they were

afraid of forgetting passwords and being locked out.

But Sarah Blaney, identity theft expert at CPP, said: "No

sensible person would use the same key for their house, car and garage. In the

same way, we shouldn't use the one password for everything. If possible people

should use multiple passwords with a combination of letters and numbers, which

should be difficult to crack."

Robert Schifreen, a reformed computer hacker and author of

the best-selling book "Defeating The Hacker", says that a different password

should be used for every website that someone signs up to.

"An online fraudster who manages to find your single

password will have the keys to your entire online life," Schiffreen says. He

advises people never type their credit card number, or any other confidential

information, into a web site that doesn't have the closed padlock symbol to show

the data is being encrypted. Antivirus software subscriptions should also be

kept up to date he says.

The most popular passwords were pet's names, chosen by 18

percent of those questioned. Around 12 percent chose birthdays as a memorable

date while around 10 percent chose their children's names as a login.

In July Twitter's accounts were compromised after a French

hacker guessed the password belonging to one of its employees. It was in fact

simply 'password'.

(Agencies)