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April 17th, 2008, 08:32 GMT · By Bogdan Popa

Gmail, Yahoo Messenger, Bank Account - All Sharing the Same Password

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Is there anything more dangerous than using the same password for multiple services, let's say Gmail, Yahoo Messenger, bank account and email, and get hacked?
Well, I don't think so because it only takes a second until you lose your email and you money. And what's worse is that most people do have the same password for several services; following a study conducted by Accenture, their percentage is almost 50 points.

According to Associated Press, Accenture has made the research with the help of 800 respondents who access the web more than twice a week and conduct all kinds of activities, others than checking the email.

"There's a lot of confusion out there - a lot of people don't think there's a problem. There's still the kind of head-in-the-sand situation: 'My identity hasn't been stolen. I don't know anybody who's had their identity stolen. So it must not be happening'," Robert Dyson of Accenture commented according to AP.

The main reason for using the same password for multiple services is that most people are afraid that they may forget the secret combinations so it seems like they're just trying to make their lives easier. However, as I have said, all the hackers need is just a second to break into one of the account and then, to get access to all the services. According to the findings of the study, 70 percent of the respondents living in the UK admitted they don't write down their passwords which, once again, explains the fact that they're using the same password for all their accounts.

A few days ago, security researchers have managed to prove that Microsoft Live Hotmail's CAPTCHA can be hacked in approximately 6 seconds. As you know, a Live account can be used for a large variety of products beside Hotmail so, in case a hacker breaks into the email account, he also gets access to the other services.
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