The 25 Worst Passwords of 2012

By Nathan Young on October 26, 2012

I have to admit; some people are crazy to use easy passwords on the internet. I know it is convenient for people to use easy passwords. And today you have multiple websites where you have to remember a password to log on. But why would you use passwords like “password” or “123456” for websites like your online bank account? Hackers know these tricks and this is an easy way for your bank account to be emptied. And just in time for Halloween the company SplashData has come out with the list of the 25 worst passwords of 2012. Why would anyone use these?

password
123456
12345678
abc123
qwerty
monkey
letmein
dragon
111111
baseball
iloveyou
trustno1
1234567
sunshine
master
123123
welcome
shadow
ashley
football
jesus
michael
ninja
mustang
password1

SplashData’s top 25 list was compiled from files containing millions of stolen passwords posted online by hackers. The company advises consumers or businesses using any of the passwords on the list to change them immediately! SplashData CEO Morgan Slain said: “Even though each year hacking tools get more sophisticated, thieves still tend to prefer easy targets. Just a little bit more effort in choosing better passwords will go a long way toward making you safer online.” Here are some tips to make your passwords stronger online!

Use passwords of eight characters or more with mixed types of characters. One way to create longer, more secure passwords that are easy to remember is to use short words with spaces or other characters separating them. For example, “eat cake at 8!” or “car_park_city?”

Avoid using the same username/password combination for multiple websites. Especially risky is using the same password for entertainment sites that you do for online email, social networking, and financial services. Use different passwords for each new website or service you sign up for.

Having trouble remembering all those different passwords? Try using a password manager application that organizes and protects passwords and can automatically log you into websites. There are numerous applications available, but choose one with a strong track record of reliability and security like SplashID Safe, which has a 10 year history and over 1 million users. SplashID Safe has versions available for Windows and Mac as well as smartphones and tablet devices.

Another great password manager application is LastPass. To the folks who have easy passwords you really need to change them! Being hacked is not a fun experience and it can cost you lots of time, hassle, and money!

Read more of the press release from SplashData at: http://www.splashdata.com/press/PR121023.htm

Learn more about SplashID at: http://www.splashdata.com/splashid/.

Learn more about LastPass at: https://lastpass.com/.