Many IT security pros don't use passwords

IT security professionals are only marginally more likely to use passwords than standard users, according to a new survey.

A concerning 35 per cent said that they just don't get around to using a password on their business smartphones, compared to 40 per cent of the general population.

In spite of this carefree attitude, twelve per cent of IT pros said that their phone contained bank account details, while a further 5 per cent admitted to storing credit card information on their work handset.

Andrew Kahl, VP Operations and Co-Founder CREDANT Technologies said: “It is alarming to note that the very people who are responsible for IT security are not much better at protecting the information on their business phones than most of their co-workers, who don't necessarily know any better. If a smartphone goes missing and isn't protected with a password, and contains corporate data, then the company is immediately in breach of the data protection act.”

The survey also found that a third of IT professionals use their own personal mobile phone for work purposes even though the company specifically bans them for business use, with almost a fifth spending more than an hour or more per day on their own personal phone for business purposes.

See original article on scmagazineuk.com