If Your Password Is ‘Password’ – You Should Probably Read This

November 25, 2011 mattd

The most common passwords used in 2011 have been published – incredibly by the hackers using them – and show a frightening array of people using the same passwords across all platforms for ease of use.

It’s easily done and something we’ve all done at one point – particularly in the early days of the internet when security was nowhere near as much of an issue as it is now.

So here comes the list (source: SplashData inc) – if your password features on it, it’s definitely time to change!

  • password
  • 123456
  • 12345678
  • qwerty
  • abc123
  • monkey
  • 1234567
  • letmein
  • trustno1
  • dragon
  • baseball
  • 111111
  • iloveyou
  • master
  • sunshine
  • ashley
  • bailey
  • passw0rd
  • shadow
  • 123123
  • 654321
  • superman
  • qazwsx
  • michael
  • football
Also you should try not to use things directly related to you – for example your favourite football team. If you feel you have to, then put a random number in there too to make it that bit harder for people to figure out. 
Some other useful tips include:
  • Make passwords eight characters or more, with a mix of characters, letters, numbers, symbols.
  • Separate short words with spaces or other characters, e.g., “drink tea at 3!” (not all sites allow spaces in passwords however)
  • Don’t use the same username/password combination for multiple websites.
  • Use a password manager if you have trouble remembering your passwords. SplashData makes one called SplashID Safe.
Need more help? Drop me a line at matt@mattdavismedia.co.uk 

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