UK Business Shows Lax Attitude Toward Data Security 14/07/00 The recent spate of high-profile laptop thefts should have served as a wake-up call to UK industry about the importance of laptop and data security and the need to manage the mobile workforce. However, according to a recent, independent survey conducted by MORI on behalf of Compaq, the importance of being protected is not being taken seriously or enforced by British businesses. The research revealed that a staggering 60% of British employees do not use a password when logging on to a PC or laptop and nearly three quarters of respondents do not take any extra precautions to protect their laptop or its data when out of the office. Passwords represent potential security risks because they can be forgotten, misplaced or stolen and are frequently written down near a computer. The growing need for multiple passwords on the Internet has further compounded password headaches. The report shows that around a quarter of those who use a password find it difficult to remember and admit to writing it down, and one in ten people freely share their password details with other people in the office. Password overload seems particularly prevalent, with over one-third of respondents now using more than three passwords. The survey revealed that many of the passwords used provide little security. A startling third of respondents had not changed any of their passwords in the last year, and 15% of people use their own name as their password. Half of those surveyed believe that their laptop is susceptible to theft. The survey also exposed that as many as 35% of laptop users do not keep copies of confidential files and critical business information held on their laptop. Yet despite these revelations, over one-third of laptop users take more care of their mobile phone than their laptop. MORI conducted 2,147 face to face interviews in Great Britain between the 4th and 8th May 2000.