Study: Many Computer Users Repeat Passwords For Several Accts
SAN FRANCISCO (AP)--Using the same password for multiple Web pages is the
Internet-era equivalent of having the same key for your home, car and bank
safe-deposit box.
Even though a universal password is like gold for cyber crooks because they
can use it to steal all of a person's sensitive data at once, nearly half the
Internet users queried in a new survey said they use just one password for all
their online accounts.
At the same time, 88% of the 800 people interviewed in the U.S. and the U.K.
for the survey by the Accenture consultancy, which is to be released Thursday,
said personal irresponsibility is the key cause of identity theft and fraud.
Researchers say the findings suggest that many users underestimate the
growing threat from organized cyber criminals who can reap big profits from
selling stolen identities.
"There's a lot of confusion out there - a lot of people don't think there's
a problem," said Robert Dyson, a senior executive in Accenture's global
security practice. "There's still the kind of head-in-the-sand situation: 'My
identity hasn't been stolen. I don't know anybody who's had their identity
stolen. So it must not be happening.'"
Dyson said the problem with repeating passwords is that a hacker who
successfully breaks into one account then has an easy time guessing how to get
into all the user's other accounts.
Many users repeat passwords so they do not forget them, which shows in
another finding that 70% of survey respondents in the U.K. said they don't
write down their passwords, versus 49% in the U.S.
Only 7% of the respondents said they change their passwords often, use
password management software or use a fingerprint reader to access their
machines and accounts.
The survey looked at people who used a computer at home, have high-speed
Internet access and go online at least twice a week for something other than
checking email. The respondents were selected at random and questioned over
the telephone. The mean age was 46.
The survey's margin of error was plus or minus 3.5% for the total sample and
plus or minus 4.9% for U.S. and U.K. samples.
Accenture noted that the results represent the behavior of a random sample
of this subgroup of Internet users, not the overall general pool of U.S. and
U.K. consumers.
