A survey in Britain, showed that 7 out of 10 people would reveal their computer password for a bar of chocolate. Additionally, 1 in 3 revealed their password without even as much as a bribe. In a second survey, 4 in 5 gave away information that could be used to steal their identity.
Damn, as a security professional I knew the numbers were high, but these numbers are staggering. I would assume that those that gave their passwords did so for their workstations at work, and not their personal banking or borkerage accounts. Or at least I hope that was the case. People are pretty dumb, and thieves, and politicians (yeah, I know the two terms are almost interchangeable), will always capitalize on that. I say that we embark on a nationwide marketing campaign to teach people about the danger of password sharing and the pain of identity theft. People need to be educated, and it should start from a very early age. Just teach your kids the following: if a stranger asks for your password, kick 'em in the nuts and run!
Damn, as a security professional I knew the numbers were high, but these numbers are staggering. I would assume that those that gave their passwords did so for their workstations at work, and not their personal banking or borkerage accounts. Or at least I hope that was the case. People are pretty dumb, and thieves, and politicians (yeah, I know the two terms are almost interchangeable), will always capitalize on that. I say that we embark on a nationwide marketing campaign to teach people about the danger of password sharing and the pain of identity theft. People need to be educated, and it should start from a very early age. Just teach your kids the following: if a stranger asks for your password, kick 'em in the nuts and run!
My password is "freechocolate".