Weak online security checks putting people at risk

By Claudine Beaumont, Technology Editor 1113AM GMT 09 March 2010

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Personal security questions are used by a accumulation of websites, together with those of banks and credit label firms, to determine the temperament of the chairman attempting to log on to the site. Photo PA

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Edinburgh, found that fraudsters would be means to mangle in to around one in 80 accounts if since 3 chances to theory the answer to usual questions, such as a mother"s lass name or name of a initial propagandize or initial teacher.

Personal security questions are used by a accumulation of websites, together with those of banks and credit label firms, to determine the temperament of the chairman attempting to log on to the site, or to authorize changes to login sum and passwords.

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The investigate investigated how easy it was to theory or event on an answer to a subject if zero was well known about the intensity victim.

"The numbers were worse than we thought," Joseph Bonneau,the lead researcher, told the BBC. "Asking what was the name of someone"s initial class clergyman seems similar to a secure choice. The complaint is that there"s a tonne of teachers out there declared Mrs Smith."

The group pronounced that most websites were deliberation creation it most harder to entrance or reactivate accounts than by responding a array of elementary questions. Some sites could ask users 3 questions prior to it allows users to reset a password, whilst others are deliberation promulgation cue reminders by content message.