A study conducted by the Home Office’s Cyber Aware campaign has revealed that 16-25 year olds are more likely to reuse a password than any other generation.
Using unique password across websites ensures that lost or stolen log in details cannot be used to gain access to other accounts.
Surprisingly, 16-25 year olds are least likely to use this cyber security technique. Six per cent admitted that they use the same password across all accounts, including their email, whilst only 1 per cent of 45-54 year olds and 1 per cent of 55-75 year olds do the same.
More worryingly, 43 per cent of this younger age group say they use their email password for at least some of their other online accounts, compared to only 13 per cent of 55-75 year olds.
“With cyber-attacks a regular occurrence in today’s headlines, it is distressing to see that the public still hasn’t taken steps to better protect their personal information online,” said Rob Norris VP Head of Enterprise & Cyber Security EMEIA at Fujitsu in a statement to BusinessCloud.
“There are no more excuses for users to put cyber security on the backbench – we need to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to safeguarding our technology and be vigilant when it comes to our practices.”
The survey also revealed that Brits of all ages have unwittingly put themselves at risk of identity theft by sending bank details, copies of passports and driving licences via online messengers.
Around 79% of the total 2,261 respondents admitted that they had sent this type of sensitive information.
A breach of any of these messenger platforms is all it takes to give a cyberattacker the tools they need to impersonate the victim online.
“As passwords and PIN numbers are increasingly being considered a thing of the past because they can be copied, stolen, guessed or shared easily, consumers should be considering biometrics such as facial, voice, iris, palm or fingerprint, for an additional layer of protection,” said Norris.