Security Study Reports Online Risks
August 8, 2010
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A recent study confirms what IT security experts have been saying all along--it is wiser to have different user names and passwords to protect identities and information not meant to be public.
A study by BitDefender reveals that some people use the same user name and password in logging into several secure websites. The experiment also revealed that some 250,000 e-mail addresses, user names and passwords were found in social and open networks, including blogs, collaboration platforms, torrents, and other channels.
About 87 percent of the information discovered are still valid and can be used to access accounts using information found elsewhere on the Internet. Moreover, the study revealed that 75 percent of users use the same user name and password to access both their e-mail accounts and their social networking accounts.
BitDefender, which develops certified security software, said some users of social networks may not be aware that they are exposing such information. It warns that exposing such information can make the unwitting user prone to attacks on the Internet, including malware, spamming and data theft.
