Young Brits Lack Cyber Security Awareness

More than 52% of Britons aged 18-25 are using the same password for lots of online services, suggests a survey by Cyber Aware.

By doing so they make it easy for hackers to hijack accounts, warned the UK government's Cyber Aware campaign.

The danger was acute because of the sensitive data people typically send via email and other accounts, it found.

79% Send Pictures of Passports & Bank Details Online

About 79% of the 2,261 respondents of all ages said they had sent bank details or copies of passports and driving licences via messaging systems.

Bank statements, electronic copies of signatures and other important documents could all be sitting in lists of sent emails.

"You wouldn't leave your door open for a burglar, so why give criminals an open invitation to your personal information?"

Reusing a password helps cyber-thieves because they try to use login names and password combinations released in data breaches on many different online accounts to see if they get a hit.

27% Re-Use Email Passwords

On average, the survey found, people regularly used at least six other online accounts covering everything from social media to online shopping. Some said they had as many as 21 other accounts they logged into frequently.

The survey suggested that younger people were most likely to use their email password on other accounts. Across the whole sample of respondents 27% reported that they reused the key identifier that unlocked their email.

TOP TIPS

• Check the strength of your passwords by using www.howsecureismypassword.net
• Consider using a password manager, which creates and remembers strong, unique passwords for all of your accounts (just make sure the password for this is super-secure!)
• Avoid using common phrases based on family names and dates of birth for your passwords. Instead, consider using 3 truly random words!