According to a new Ofcom report, more than half of adult internet users admit they use the same password for most, if not all, websites.

A quarter said they use passwords like birthdays and names which can open them up to the threat of account hacking, with a quarter stating that remembering passwords is too hard.

James Thickett, Ofcom’s director of research, said: “While our research shows that some people are still taking security risks online, they clearly feel these are outweighed by the benefits that the internet brings.

“We are seeing more and more adults turning to the internet for information and as a way of keeping in touch.”

Online users are being advised that once a fraudster has an important password, they can run up bills and cause considerable financial and personal damage.

This could later affect a consumer’s credit rating or online repuration.

Tony Neate, CEO of Getsafeonline.org, said: “Ofcom’s figures fit with our own research, which worryingly shows that 60% of the population fail to password protect phones, laptops and tablets, making them vulnerable to cybercriminals. 

“Your passwords are the most common way to prove your identity online, so it’s really important to use strong passwords that will keep your identity as well as your bank balance safe.

“The best security in the world is useless if a hacker has accessed your legitimate user name and password, as this effectively gives them easy access to your online accounts and your life.”

We’ve pulled together some advice from the experts at getsafeonline.org on how to safeguard your online presence.

Top tips for choosing a strong password: 

• Make sure you password protect ALL technology including your mobile phone and tablets, as well as your computer.

• Choose a password with a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers and keyboard symbols.

• Choose a password containing at least eight characters- longer passwords are harder for criminals to guess or break.

• Avoid using obvious passwords such as names or birthdays of people close to you or numerical passcodes or PINs that use ascending or descending number.

• Don’t recycle passwords (for example password2, password3).

Looking after your password

• Never disclose your passwords to anyone else, if you think that someone else knows your password, change it immediately.

• Don’t enter your password when others can see what you are typing.

• Change your passwords regularly.

• Use a different password for every website, if you have only one password, a criminal simply has to break it to gain access to everything.

• If you must write passwords down in order to remember them, make sure they are meaningless and unusable to other people by writing them in code.

• Do not send your password by email, no reputable firm will ask you to do this so alarm bells should automatically ring if you are asked.

Controlling user accounts

• Set up a different user account for each person who uses a computer, so that only they can access their files and programmes.

• Do not use an account with administrator privileges for everyday use, as malware could assume administrator rights.

• Set up an administrator account to use when you need to carry out tasks such as installing programs or changing the system configuration, and another ‘standard user’ account as your regular account.