C'mon, guys. Really?
An annual ranking of the most common -- and therefore worst -- passwords used on the Internet shows that many users still don't understand the basics of online security.
SplashData, a Los Gatos, Calif.,-based security-app producer, compiled its list of the top 25 worst combinations in an effort to make people aware of the dangers of easily guessable passwords. This year, "password" lost its status as the most common (read: worst) password, with two-time second-place finisher "123456" rising to the top spot. Other common phrases included "iloveyou," "qwerty" and "abc123."
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Interestingly, the addition of passwords like "photoshop" on the list show how often people draw inspiration from the program they are using when creating protections.
"Seeing passwords like 'adobe123' and 'photoshop' on this list offers a good reminder not to base your password on the name of the website or application you are accessing," SplashData CEO Morgan Slain said in the press release. "Another interesting aspect of this year's list is that more short numerical passwords showed up even though websites are starting to enforce stronger password policies."
So how can you try to protect yourself?
While passwords are never completely immune from hackers, the best passwords are long combinations of letters and numbers with random punctuation. Common phrases, words, or short strings of digits are extremely vulnerable, and it's always unwise to use the same password across multiple services and devices.
- 123456
- password
- 12345678
- qwerty
- abc123
- 123456789
- 111111
- 1234567
- iloveyou
- adobe123
- 123123
- Admin
- 1234567890
- letmein
- photoshop
- 1234
- monkey
- shadow
- sunshine
- 12345
- password1
- princess
- azerty
- trustno1
- 000000