More likely, you were lazy and wanted something easy to remember, like "123456."
If you're using any of these passwords, change them.
Those are some of the most common passwords, according to a new list released by security company Splash Data. The group comes up with the top 25 list based on lists of passwords that were stolen and posted publicly in the previous year.
This year, the most common password is "123456," which unseated last year's No. 1, "password."
In addition to strings of
digits in numerical order and simple words and letters like "qwerty"
and "admin," there are a few phrases on the list. The sweet and common
"iloveyou" is beloved by hackers, as is "letmein," "trustno1" and
"password1."
A string of high-profile
breaches in the past year may serve as a wake-up call to the consumers
who use these passwords. Many perhaps assume they would never be the
target of hackers, so there's no reason to enact strict, or even
common-sense, security measures.
This year's list was
clearly skewed by the large number of Adobe passwords included in the
round-up, as indicated by the presence of "adobe123" and "photoshop" on
the list at number 10 and 15 respectively. Adobe experienced a sizable
security breach in 2013 that affected 38 million users.
We can deduce that
choosing a password named after the product for which it's used is a bad
idea. Also avoid using your own name or other obvious words someone who
knows you could guess (the name of your husband, child, cat).
To beef up your
defenses, immediately change any of your own passwords that show up on
the list. Combine random words instead of using common phrases, and if
you include numbers or symbols, don't just substitute 3s for your Es. If
you're ready to take your security to the next level, don't use the
same password for all sites.
Also, when possible,
turn on two-factor identification, in which access is granted based on a
password and something else, such as a specific image.
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