Bedford, MA,— RSA Security Inc. (Nasdaq: RSAS) today announced survey results that show the challenges end users face in managing passwords inside the enterprise, and the potential corporate IT security risks that result. The survey of almost 1700 enterprise technology end users in the United States showed that over a quarter of respondents must manage more than 13 passwords at work, and that nine out of ten respondents are frustrated with the password management challenge. This frustration is leading to behaviors that could jeopardize IT security, as well as compliance initiatives.

"Compliance initiatives have led companies to enforce and strengthen password policies, which has resulted in additional burdens for the end user - such as requiring that employees change passwords more frequently, or leverage very difficult to remember passwords," said Andrew Braunberg, senior analyst at Current Analysis. "Paradoxically, password policies that are not user-friendly spur risky behavior that can undermine security. These policies also raise IT help desk costs as companies allocate more resources to password resets."

Plethora of Passwords Creates Frustration
The results of the RSA Security survey reveal that employees are managing an incredibly large number of passwords at work. Twenty-eight percent of respondents must keep track of more than 13 passwords; 30 percent of respondents manage between 6-12 passwords. Managing so many passwords is leading to greater end user frustration: the vast majority of those surveyed (88 percent) reported frustration with the password management process.

Password Overload Driving Risky IT Security Behaviors
RSA Security's survey findings indicate that while end users may attempt to memorize passwords, employees continue to resort to other, less secure means of tracking multiple passwords. The most common risky password management behaviors include:

The Password Burden on the IT Help Desk
Research from the Burton Group reports that each call to the IT help desk may cost between $25 and $50. Despite this, the RSA Security survey showed that the bulk of password reset responsibilities continue to lie in the hands of IT help desk staff, with 82 percent of respondents indicating that IT help desk staff must intervene when passwords are lost or forgotten.

The survey also showed the potential for lost productivity when employees rely on the IT help desk to manage a lost or forgotten password. Twenty percent of respondents said it takes the IT help desk staff between 6 and 15 minutes to address a lost or forgotten password problem; 17 percent said it takes longer than 16 minutes.

Protecting the "Keys to the Kingdom"
Respondents were queried on the impact of leveraging a "master password," which could be used to gain access to all other passwords. The overwhelming majority of respondents - 98 percent - believe that it would be important to add a layer of protection if they were provided with one master password at work - essentially, protecting the "keys to the kingdom." Tellingly, 55 percent of respondents rated adding an added layer of security as "very important."

Survey Description and Methodology
The RSA Security password management survey was conducted online between August 31 and September 19, 2005. 1685 respondents, including CIOs/CSOs, and IT directors, managers and administrators took part in the online survey. The survey polled individuals located in the United States.

***Note to media: A report with additional survey results can be obtained by sending a note to dhowell@rsasecurity.com.

About RSA Security Inc.
RSA Security Inc. is the expert in protecting online identities and digital assets. The inventor of core security technologies for the Internet, the company leads the way in strong authentication and encryption, bringing trust to millions of user identities and the transactions that they perform. RSA Security's portfolio of award-winning identity & access management solutions helps businesses to establish who's who online - and what they can do. With a strong reputation built on a 20-year history of ingenuity, leadership and proven technologies, we serve more than 18,000 customers around the globe and interoperate with more than 1,000 technology and integration partners. For more information, please visit www.rsasecurity.com.