Your Password To Everything

There are few people around in the developed world today who would argue that the importance of computer systems has decreased over the last few years. There are even fewer who would be likely to say that the significance of such systems will diminish any time soon. Enterprises, Organisations, Governments and individuals all rely, to a greater or lesser degree, on the computers and the myriad of applications that they host. With so many people now routinely carrying out significant transactions via the Internet, why has so little attention been paid to the fundamental plank on which all systems ultimately depend for their security, namely identity management, and why is so little action taken to prevent, or at least deter, identity theft? A recent study conducted by Opinion Research Corporation and commissioned by RSA Security, investigated the attitudes, perceptions and security practices of consumers today and compared them with opinions they held one year ago. The survey questioned more than 1,000 “consumers” on their awareness of security issues and their feelings of safety. It also considered what safety measures are taken to combat identity theft and computer attacks. The results are not encouraging. Some 63 percent of respondents considered themselves to be “More Informed” on the issue of identity theft, but of these nearly half (49 percent) do not consider themselves to be any safer now than they were last year whilst one in four consider themselves more exposed. Fewer than one in five of those questioned consider themselves safer now than they were during the same period last year. Full Story