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Martin also criticised websites which bar people from being able to paste their passwords online, saying it was “completely pointless” and actually damaging security.

Martin, speaking as the NCSC was officially opened by the Queen, said: “We have got to make it easier for people to operate safely.

“We worked out what we were asking every British citizen to do is memorise a new 600-digit number every month.

“I don’t think I could do that, none of my best people could do that.”

He recommended that people should use password managers to handle their security. “There are password managers out there, there are ways you can look at your exposure online, you can work out what you really care about,” he said. Password managers are programs that can encode all the passwords a user needs for different websites, using a single login.

Ian Levy, technical director at the NCSC, said asking members of the public to remember so many passwords was “dumb”, but that password manager programs make life “so much easier”.

He said: “That’s the short-term answer to make the current pain go away. If you’ve got a vault of all your passwords, you need to remember one. It syncs across all your devices.

“We are about to publish guidance on how to select a good password manager.”

Martin said there had been a “step-change” in cyberattacks by Russia against the West since 2015.

He said there was also concern about cyber security from British political parties after American intelligence agencies said Russia carried out hacking attacks on the Democrats to try to sway the presidential elections.