Password Misuse Could Be Root Cause of Hacking Spike

In 2011, Lieberman Software surveyed more than 300 IT professionals for their insights into password practices and security outcomes. Portions of the survey focused on the numbers of passwords in use, sharing of privileged passwords, organizational security and other areas. The survey revealed that 48 percent of IT security professionals have worked for organizations whose network has been breached by a hacker. The results also paint a vivid picture of password chaos amongst IT staff and apathy about password security among senior management.

Survey respondents worked in organizations ranging from fewer than 100 to more than 10,000 employees, with the largest portion of respondents (62 percent) working in organizations that employ more than 10,000 individuals.

This slideshow summarizes survey results having to do with the attitudes and outlook of IT personnel.