A NEW survey has revealed the vast majority of people are not taking the necessary steps to protect their identity online, with 75 per cent admitting they do not follow best practice to create complex passwords.

New guidance from the government states the key to creating a strong password includes using three words or more and adding a symbol to make the password even more secure.

The figures were released to mark the launch of the latest phase of the government’s Cyber Streetwise campaign, a partnership between the police and industry experts which aims to raise awareness of wise and unwise behaviour online.

Despite 95 per cent of Britons saying it is their own responsibility to protect themselves online, two thirds are risking their safety by not using symbols in passwords.

Nearly half have other unsafe password habits such as using pet names or significant dates as their password.

Advice on creating strong, memorable passwords can be found at cyberstreetwise.com, along with other easy tips for staying safe online.

The survey was conducted by OnePoll in September from a nationally representative sample of 1,000 British individuals.