Are Any of Yours on the List of Worst Passwords of 2015?
Here’s a Top 25 List you do not want to be on: The Worst Passwords of 2015. Password management company SplashData released its annual list of the 25 worst Internet passwords, and what’s truly mindboggling is that for both 2015 and 2014, “123456” and “password” are at the top.
This list is compiled from more than 2 million leaked passwords, primarily from North American and Western European users. To avoid finding your password on next year’s list, for starters, do NOT use names, simple numeric patterns, or sports phrases. Sorry, but Star Wars references do not make good passwords, either.
Here’s the 2015 list:
1. 123456
2. password
3. 12345678
4. qwerty
5. 12345
6. 123456789
7. football
8. 1234
9. 1234567
10. baseball
11. welcome
12. 1234567890
13. abc123
14. 111111
15. 1qaz2wsx
16. dragon
17. master
18. monkey
19. letmein
20. login
21. princess
22. qwertyuiop
23. solo
24. passw0rd
25. starwars
We all know not to use the names of our children, pets, or birthdate; keep in mind information shared on social media may be readily accessed. And, clever phrases such as “letmein” (#19) aren’t a smart idea, either. Here are some other tips to avoid having your account hacked:
From SplashData: Use passwords or phrases of twelve characters or more with mixed types of characters; don’t reuse the same password on different websites; and use a password manager to organize passwords and generate random ones.
From Google: Create unique passwords for each of your important accounts unrelated to your personal information. Passwords should use a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. A possibility is to pick a random word or phrase and insert letters and numbers into the beginning, middle, and end (such as "sPo0kyh@ll0w3En"). Consider enabling 2-Step verification to add an extra layer of security.
A final thought: When was the last time you changed your passwords?
