Why your passwords aren't safe

Computer users are still putting themselves at risk of Internet fraud by using the names of children and pets as passwords.

Other 'secret' codewords such as birthdays or football teams can be easily guessed, experts warned yesterday.

They advise changing passwords to get on the Net and access confidential information such as bank details at least once a month.

A survey by Internet bank Egg found most codes can be guessed far too easily.

Of the 1,000 people asked, a quarter chose the name of their child and a fifth went for their partner's name, despite repeated warnings about the risks of such

obvious passwords. Birth dates were next most popular, followed by football teams.

Almost a tenth used the name of a band or celebrity, a pet's name or a place - with nine per cent opting for that most obvious of passwords, their own name.

Asked why they failed to change codes regularly, 27 per cent said it was because they did not like remembering a new one, 14 per cent said it was irritating, 13 per cent were sentimentally attached to their old one and 12 per cent just forgot.

Despite the findings, Patrick Muir, head of marketing at Egg, insisted the Internet was 'as safe a place to shop or bank as the high street'. But he added: 'There are a number of simple steps that consumers can take to improve their personal security.'

These include changing passwords regularly, making codes at least eight digits long, not writing them down and using more than one for different websites.

Robert Schifreen, who was acquitted of computer hacking in 1985 and now works as a computer security consultant, said: 'You wouldn't choose to leave your keys in your car ignition or your front door open, so why would you use your name as your online password or keep it publicly on the side of your PC?'