British businesses are running the risk of being hacked and having confidential data leaked due to a laissez-faire attitude towards digital security.

According to a new survey, nearly half of us use the same password for everything at work, while one in four admitted they based their password on easily researched personal information, such as pet's name or date of birth.

One in every two respondents in the study carried out by IT company probrand.co.uk  also admitted they knew at least one colleague's password.

But while these lax attitudes are alarming and could pose a serious risk of cyber breaches for businesses, one Gloucestershire digital expert said employees should be educated about why they should be more vigilant rather than just being told to sharpen up their passwords.

Barry Kirby, managing director of Gloucester-based K Sharp, has been delivering research for the Ministry of Defence in the cyber domain over the past few years, and is particularly focused on the human element of cyber and technology.

He suggests that people need to be brought on board just as much as technology when combating cyber threats, explaining why rather than demanding that their online security needed to be improved.

"All too often we think that cybercrime is us getting caught out by technology, and that having complex passwords is simply the management imposing irritating policy that is an inconvenience rather than a necessity," he said.

"We as humans will always look for the easiest route to doing things, unless we understand the reasons why we are doing it. Normally this "why" lesson comes sharply into focus immediately after we have been hacked, rather than just before.

"It is also an age thing. Our research shows that there is a strong difference between generations in how we use online resources, with Digital Natives (those born around or after 1982) a lot more digitally aware, have a much broader digital footprint and are more likely to use common passwords across different systems.

"The older generations are more likely to have different passwords, but have them written down in a little black book somewhere."

Barry added: "Fundamentally, companies may need to rethink their strong password strategies. It has been suggested that simpler passwords are more likely to be adhered to and useful than super complex ones, tempered against the criticality of the system being used, but also that we need to be bringing our employees along on the journey of why it is important, not just dictating through policy."

The news comes at a time when cyber threats are at an all-time high, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) legislation is coming, and businesses are exposing themselves to significant fines and risk reputational damage as a result.

The survey of 1,012 respondents revealed the basis for the most common passwords came from information such as spouse, children and pet names, and dates of birth, putting companies at risk from hackers and external parties.

Just one in four workers said their company changed passwords for key digital accounts and services when a member of staff leaves employment.

And shockingly, just under one in 10 workers admitted they didn't even have a password-protected computer at work, leaving all their information open to public view if the situation arose.

Probrand provides IT products, managed services and solutions to clients across small and medium-sized business and the public sector.

Picture caption: Cyber expert Barry Kirby, managing director of Gloucester-based K Sharp