More than half of U.S. business computer users admit to never changing their passwords for websites and applications, new research has claimed.
According to the survey conducted by IT security firm Palcott Software, this lax attitude to online security may be attributed to the fact that 69 percent of respondents said they use multiple logins on multiple sites. Therefore, they view changing passwords as too complex.
Another growing problem identified by the poll is how users manage all of these different passwords. The research survey found that 48 percent of respondents manually had to write down passwords either on paper or in computer files.
"Not enough attention is placed on user compliance in regard to password and security best practices," said Eric Constantini, co-founder and president of Palcott Software. "The survey clearly shows that businesses are not doing all they can to prevent unauthorized access to web sites and applications. We believe this problem will only continue to grow as more and more business is conducted online."
He added that it is not enough for enterprises to tell users what the best security procedures are if many do not implement them.
"What users need is a simple way to secure their sensitive data, thus increasing the likelihood that they will actually comply," Constantini said.
The survey was conducted online with U.S. businesses in February 2006. The breakdown included 52 percent Small Office Home Office (SOHO), 25 percent with five to 25 employees, and 25 percent with more than 50 employees.
www.palcott.com
