Use of passwords to secure information stored on the Web may actually become one of the easiest means of hacking a computer - this fact has come to light in the latest computer hacking case, wherein a hacker managed to steal top secret documents from Twitter, and send them to two Web sites that published the hacked information!

One of the technology news blogs, TechCrunch - to which the information was sent - said that the hacked documents included executive meeting notes; partner agreements and financial projections; and even information like employees' meal preferences, calendars and phone logs.

Since the hacker - who calls himself Hacker Croll - laid his hands on pertinent corporate information about Twitter after burglarizing the e-mail account of the wife of Twitter CEO Evan Williams, questions have been raised about the use of passwords for securing confidential information.

Password-protected sites are increasingly vulnerable to hacking because most people tend to use the same passwords on multiple Web sites. Last year, a survey by security firm Sophos revealed that nearly 40 percent of Internet users have the same password for different Web sites they access!

Talking about hacking via the password route, Twitter co-founder Biz Stone said that the attack "isn't about any flaw in Web apps. It speaks to the importance of following good personal security guidelines such as choosing strong passwords."