Britons fail to protect online accounts, says research

Britons are failing to protect online accounts from hackers by using “obvious” passwords, according to Atomik Research.

The research shows that nearly a quarter of 1,000 UK residents use their name and date of birth as their online passwords, as well as using only one or two different passwords for online activities, putting their personal and employer’s data at risk of being hacked.

Despite high profile attacks, 16% of respondents said that cyber security had become more of a focus in the workplace since the WannaCry ransomware attacks in May 2017.

Furthermore, 76% of respondents admitted that they have never updated their security details following a big data breach.

Bradley Maule-ffinch, director of strategy for Cyber Security Europe, said to Computer Weekly: “Nowadays, this is far from being just a personal issue. We have seen a spate of prolific attacks and breaches this year alone and businesses must ensure that employees are educated about the basics such as password security.”

“This could prove a costly vulnerability for organisations after the compliance deadline for the EU General Data Protection Regulation [GDPR].”

Written by Leah Alger

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