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Posted: Mon, April 21, 2008
Employees compromise IT security for chocolateAs many as a fifth of UK employees would give their corporate passwords to other people in exchange for a chocolate bar, new research has suggested.According to an Infosecurity Europe survey of 576 office workers, women are four times as likely as men to trade their password for an edible return. The survey revealed that 45 per cent of women give their passwords to researchers claiming to be conducting a market study, compared to ten per cent of men. Users were also easily tricked into disclosing other important information, such as dates of birth. "This research shows that it's pretty simple for a perpetrator to gain access to information that is restricted by having a chat around the coffee machine, getting a temporary job as a PA or pretending to be from the IT department," said Claire Sellick, event director at Infosecurity Europe. "This type of social engineering technique is often used by hackers targeting a specific organisation with valuable data or assets, such as a government department or a bank." A recent survey by management consulting, technology services and outsourcing firm Accenture indicated that nearly half of internet users repeat passwords online for different websites and services. 
© Adfero Ltd
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