Ok wait… What if I switch the “o” to a zero making it “passw0rd”? Will that help things? Unfortunately no. Both are on the list of the 25 most common passwords used on the Internet this year. According to the report, “password” ranks first on SplashData’s annual list of worst Internet passwords, based on how commonly they are used. “passw0rd,” with a zero in place of the O, isn’t much better. It’s 18th on the list. Other common, and dumb, passwords include simple numerical choices like “123456,” common names like “ashley” and “michael,” and patterns based on the layout of the keyboard like “qwerty” and “qazwsx,” according to SplashData. “There are also some minor mysteries,” the firm’s blog reported, “like the unusual popularity of ‘monkey’ and ‘shadow.’ With an increasing number of sites requiring more complex passwords, some letter and number combinations like ‘abc123′ and ‘trustno1′ are being used more often.” I find it timely that our own Steve Krause recently published a groovyPost on How To create an easy to remember secure passphrase. It’s obvious more people need to read that ASAP! Based on millions of stolen passwords posted online by hackers, here is the complete list:
- password 2. 123456 3. 12345678 4. qwerty 5. abc123 6. monkey 7. 1234567 8. letmein 9. trustno1 10. dragon 11. baseball 12. 111111 13. iloveyou 14. master 15. sunshine 16. ashley 17. bailey 18. passw0rd 19. shadow 20. 123123 21. 654321 22. superman 23. qazwsx 24. michael 25. football So was your password on the list? If it was, stop everything and read Steve’s article on creating an easy to remember secure passphrase. When you’re done reading it, change your passwords immediately! Now if your password wasn’t on this list, I still recommend reading the article and gaining some understanding on the do’s and don’ts of passwords and passphrases. Oops, better change my password! ps it ain’t one of mine so i don’t have to change nuthin’ Is this unique to the UK or is it the same in other countries. Comment Name * Email *
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