You already know this: passwords are the first line of defense against cyber criminals, who are only getting smarter and more devious with each passing day.
So why do people still insist on using easy-to-crack passwords? According to SplashData’s annual “2015 Worst Passwords” list, it seems some folks just never learn.
The list, which ranks the most commonly used passwords by Internet users, reveals just how terrible many people’s password choices are.
“‘123456’ and “password” once again reign supreme as the most commonly used passwords, as they have since SplashData’s first list in 2011, demonstrating how people’s choices for passwords remain consistently risky,” wrote the password management applications company on its website.
Other awful passwords in the top 25 include “qwerty,” “welcome,” “letmein” and “monkey;” “starwars,” “princess” and “solo” also made this year’s list:
- 123456
- password
- 12345678
- qwerty
- 12345
- 123456789
- football
- 1234
- 1234567
- baseball
- welcome
- 1234567890
- abc123
- 111111
- 1qaz2wsx
- dragon
- master
- monkey
- letmein
- login
- princess
- qwertyuiop
- solo
- passw0rd
- starwars
The list, compiled from more than 2 million leaked passwords last year, indicates that “many people continue to put themselves at risk for hacking and identity theft,” SplashData wrote.
The company said it hopes its list will be a wake-up call for people to start using more secure passwords.
“We hope that with more publicity about how risky it is to use weak passwords, more people will take steps to strengthen their passwords and, most importantly, use different passwords for different websites,” said SplashData CEO Morgan Slain in a statement.
Most experts agree that strong passwords are random (no obvious words and combinations); long (more than 12 characters); and use a mix of numbers, letters and symbols. Also be sure to change your passwords periodically.
Using random password generators and password managers can also be useful. Click here to find out more about creating better passwords.