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Men far worse than women on password security

And Brits rubbish at updating software

Women are more password savvy than blokes, according to a new survey.

A survey on security awareness by PC Tools found that 47 per cent of men use the same password for every website they visit, compared to just a quarter (26 per cent) of women who use the same insecure practice.

Nearly two-thirds of men polled said they would open a link or attachment from a friend without first checking its provenance, compared to a more cautious 48 per cent of women.

Despite this apparent blokish complacency, men were generally better informed than women about online risks. For example, 85 per cent of men were aware that channels including IM, email and webpages can be abused to spread malware. Meanwhile, 44 per cent of women were blind to the danger that malicious threats are liable to crop up on sites including Facebook and Twitter.

The worldwide study by PC Tools also found that a third of Brits never update their security software, compared to five per cent of Germans and seven per cent of the French.

The UK also leads the world in surfing without security protection. Almost one in ten Brits (nine per cent) go online without any kind of information security prophylactic.

However, the French were tagged as most likely to use the same password across all the websites they frequent – 56 per cent used only one password compared to 45 per cent in Benelux, 35 per cent in the UK and just 16 per cent in Germany.

Around 4,500 people visiting the PC Tools website were quizzed as part of the survey, which was supplemented by street surveys in the UK, France, Germany and Benelux (Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg). ®

Moderatrix Post-It

We identify another comment thread whose trajectory is as predictable as the moods accompanying your lady's monthly inconvenience. Choose at your leisure from these handy insta-troll comments so as not to expend any more energy than necessary - you will need all your mental strength for the mighty yet spiritually enriching scrap which will surely ensue. Oh goody!

1) That's not true! My missus uses the same password for everything and will not be told. This isolated example clearly illustrates the real truth. So shut up.

2) That's not true! It's just another example of misandry pushed by a militant feminist agenda, and I for one am sick of it. We have had thousands of years of female oppression. When are men going to take a stand?

3) That's not true! I'm French and I have a different password for everything.

4) Women wear knickers. I have seen.

5) I'm saying nothing for fear of the wrath of the Moderatrix!!!

6) What's that bit from The Simpsons about statistics?

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