Millions of people in the UK are sharing their passwords with scammers on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram without knowing, research from TalkTalk has found.

“With internet usage at record levels, it’s never been more important to stay safe online,” said TalkTalk’s head of customer security, Mark Johnson.

The connectivity provider’s study, released for World Password Day, found that 43 per cent of Brits say they use personal information such as birthdays, family or pet names when setting passwords.

Millions also admitted to then sharing this data on social media, including birthdays - 37 per cent- pet names - 21 per cent - and mothers’ maiden names - 15 per cent.

More than a quarter – 27 per cent – only have one password, or a variation of one password, that they use for all logins and online profiles.

According to the research, under 25s are 300 times more likely to only use one password for everything compared to over 45s.

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