Password overload hitting firms' security

[engine]

Security breaches from computer viruses, spyware, hacker attacks and theft of equipment are costing business an estimated 10 billion pounds a year, according to a survey on Tuesday. The loss is 50 percent higher than the level calculated two years ago, said the study by consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers for the Department of Trade and Industry.

The rise comes despite companies increasing their spending on information security controls to an average 4-5 percent of their IT budget from 3 percent in 2004.

One area of concern for security, the study warned, was the increasing number of user IDs and passwords employees were having to remember.

Password overload [today.reuters.co.uk]

Remembering passwords is always a challenge, however, the biggest threat comes from asking the machine to remember the passwords.

[Beagle]

The way I read the article, it's talking specifically about passwords employees need in order to access their company's information - the more needed, the higher the level of security breaches. Wonder if that's because the employees who have to use a lot of passwords are more likely to have them saved on their computer or written down somewhere accessible/visible? I only need one password to get into our department's network, which is fairly high security because we do genetic research. I have to change my password every 90 days, but since I only need one I don't have to write it down to remember it.

OTOH, away from the office, with all the things I do online, I have too many passwords to remember. They're on a list, hand-written, inside the cover of my Daytimer - the one item that I always keep track of.