JEDDAH – A stolen password can give access to a user's every last detail – starting with personal photos and finishing with credit card details. That is why it is highly advisable to use complex passwords to access online services. It is also important not to use the same password for different services, for fear of losing not only important data but also your “online” personality. A survey carried out for Kaspersky Lab by O+K Research in 25 countries around the world showed that the risks of simple passwords are not fully understood by users. In Saudi Arabia, 39 percent of respondents are practically unprotected, the survey revealed. According to the survey, users in the Kingdom have chosen insecure passwords which can easily be brute-forced. Examples include nine percent date of birth, three percent middle name, and two percent pet's name. This sort of information may be known not only by close friends and relatives, but a creative fraudster can also easily find it on the Internet through social networking sites. Another 17 percent of those surveyed use a simple combination of figures such as “123456.” and 10 percent use the word “password”. This type of protection, like other passwords based on easy-to-guess words, can be easily and quickly brute-forced. Another problem which is often overlooked is the repeated use of the same password. In theory, this avoids the danger of forgetting passwords. In practice, though, if this universal password is compromised, fraudsters have an easy path into several accounts, services and programs. According to the research conducted, 17 percent of users in the Kingdom use one password for all accounts while 30 percent use different passwords for each account. In addition, the place where you store your password is very important when it comes to data security. The good news at least is that 71 percent users in Saudi Arabia prefer to memorize their passwords. However, 37 percent admitted to forgetting a vital password at least once while nine percent said they write their password on a piece of paper and leave it near their computer. Passwords are the first and basic line of protection when it comes to securing online operations. Kaspersky Internet Security 2013 provides a wide range of technologies to protect your privacy and identity – including two unique security features for entering personal information online. Secure Keyboard is a new Kaspersky technology that automatically activates whenever you open a bank or payment website and ensures that information you enter using your physical keyboard can't be accessed by keyloggers. — SG
