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San Francisco: Using the same password for multiple web pages is the internet-era equivalent of having the same key for your home, car and bank safe-deposit box.
Even though a universal password is like gold for cyber crooks because they can use it to steal all of a person's sensitive data at once, nearly half the internet users queried in a new survey said they use just one password for all their online accounts.
At the same time, 88 per cent of the 800 people interviewed in the US and the UK for the survey by the Accenture consultancy, which was to be released yesterday, said personal irresponsibility is the key cause of identity theft and fraud.
Researchers say the findings suggest that many users underestimate the growing threat from organised cyber criminals who can reap big profits from selling stolen identities.
"There's a lot of confusion out there - a lot of people don't think there's a problem," said Robert Dyson, a senior executive in Accenture's global security practice.
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