1 in 5 healthcare workers share passwords, survey warns

More than 1 in 5 healthcare workers share their passwords with colleagues, a security no-no, but healthcare security pros can take some solace that such risky business is no worse in their industry than some others.

Workers in the legal trade, for example, share passwords about as often as in healthcare (22%), according to findings in a report based on a survey of 250 healthcare IT security professionals in the U.S. and another 250 in the U.K. Architecture, construction and human resources personnel do even more password sharing, about 30%, according to the opinions of IT professionals in the survey.

About 35% of the survey respondents indicated they believe no one is sharing passwords within their organizations.

“Great news, if true,” according to the report The Insider Threat Security Manifesto from IS Decisions, a security firm based in Biarritz, France. But based on experience, the security firm's authors conclude “there is some naivety or lack of education even among IT professionals about the proliferation of password sharing.”

Of the IT pros surveyed, 9% from the U.S. indicated their organizations had suffered an internal security breach in the past year, while 14% of their U.K. counterparts reported they had.

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