123456, trustno1, password: the worst passwords of 2011 have been revealed and make for some hilarious reading. The top 25 worst passwords for securing Facebook or e mail accounts released by SplashData shows users are not a very inventive bunch. (Hey, password was No.1 on the list after all.)
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This lack of imagination when figuring out your password could make your Hotmail or Facebook account highly insecure and hacked easily, particularly in light of Facebook’s recent shock revelation that illegitimate users looking to break into other accounts occurs 600,000 times a day.
SplashData, who specialise in web security and passwords, urged any Internet users guilty of using one of the passwords featured on the list below to change them immediately.
“Hackers can easily break into many accounts just by repeatedly trying common passwords,” warns Morgan Slain, SplashData CEO.
“Even though people are encouraged to select secure, strong passwords, many people continue to choose weak, easy-to-guess ones, placing themselves at risk from fraud and identity theft.”
However, the trouble is many people use the same passwords over several accounts so might involve a bit of work to change all you accounts, between Twitter, Facebook, Gmail etc.
25 Worst Passwords of the Year
1. 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
- ashley
17. bailey
18. passwOrd
19. shadow
20. 123123
21. 654321
22. superman
23. qazwsx
24. michael
25. football
Here are some tips for choosing a more (secure) internet password:
– Vary different types of characters in your passwords; include numbers, letters and special characters when possible.
– Choose passwords of eight characters or more. Separate short words with spaces or underscores.
– Don’t use the same password and username combination for multiple websites. Use an online password manager to keep track of your different accounts.
