Internet users are not putting enough effort into creating secure passwords

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Countless British computer users are leaving themselves vulnerable to identity fraud by using the same passwords for multiple websites.

That is according to research by identity theft insurance specialist CPP, which found that 1.7 million Brits use the same password for banks, social networks and other websites that they visit.

Worryingly, the CPP study also indicated that people are using passwords that are easy to crack, such as birthdays or the names of their children, and are willing to share them with friends and colleagues.

The firm found that Brits typically visit 23 sites per month that require them to enter a password, meaning that identity fraudsters would have access to vast amounts of personal information if they found out the password being used.

CPP identity theft specialist Sarah Blaney said: "No sensible person should use the same key for their house, car and garage. In the same way, we shouldn''t use the same password for everything."

Speaking to the Express this week, privacy expert Matthew Myron suggested that Facebook has some of the best privacy settings on the internet but that people do not use them because they are afraid of appearing to friends as if they have something to hide.

By Gary Huddless