The '123456' Number Sequence Tops SplashData's Worst Passwords List [WATCH VIDEO]
CREDIT: YouTube/bvontob
SplashData, a company that specializes in password management applications (SplashID Safe line) for more than 10 years just announced the Worst Passwords of 2013 list featuring the 25 most common passwords found in the Internet. The "123456" number sequence topped the list as the worst password of 2013. It has been a runner-up for two times already and now, it has finally landed the number one spot. It beat the worst password of 2012, which is the word "password."
According to SplashData, the Worst Passwords of 2013 list was obtained from several files that contained millions of stolen passwords and were posted online in 2013. The said list was mostly based on the passwords from Adobe users that were posted online by the Stricture Consulting Group, a security consulting firm.
Aside from the "123456" number sequence and the word "password," other commonly used and easily hacked passwords made SplashData's Worst Passwords list of 2013 including "abc123," "iloveyou," "qwerty," "admin," "letmein," "princess" and "111111." Check out the complete list below.
SplashData's Worst Passwords of 2013:
| Rank | Password | Change from 2012 |
1. | 123456 | Up 1 |
2. | password | Down 1 |
3. | 12345678 | Unchanged |
4. | qwerty | Up 1 |
5. | abc123 | Down 1 |
6. | 123456789 | New |
7. | 111111 | Up 2 |
8. | 1234567 | Up 5 |
9. | iloveyou | Up 2 |
10. | adobe123 | New |
11. | 123123 | Up 5 |
12. | admin | New |
13. | 1234567890 | New |
14. | letmein | Down 7 |
15. | photoshop | New |
16. | 1234 | New |
17. | monkey | Down 11 |
18. | shadow | Unchanged |
19. | sunshine | Down 5 |
20. | 12345 | New |
21. | password1 | Up 4 |
22. | princess | New |
23. | azerty | New |
24. | trustno1 | Down 12 |
25. | 000000 | New |
Source: SplashData
SplashData CEO Morgan Slain advised users not to use passwords that have the name of the application or Web site that they are accessing like "photoshop" and "adobe123." He also said that short numerical passwords like "1234," "000000" and "12345" should be avoided because they are too simple and too easy to crack.
SplashData hopes that by releasing its annual Worst Passwords list, they can encourage more people to use stronger passwords. The password management applications expert suggests that users who see their passwords in the Worst Passwords of 2013 list should immediately change their passwords. SplashData recommends using passwords with a combination of eight or more letters, numbers and characters that are unusual and difficult to guess.
"As always, we hope that with more publicity about how risky it is to use weak passwords, more people will start taking simple steps to protect themselves by using stronger passwords and using different passwords for different websites," said Slain in the report by SplashData.
Plus, it helps to use passphrases or short words with other characters or spaces between them. Also, make sure to use different passwords for various Web sites.
Watch a funny scene from the 1987 MGM movie "Spaceballs" about using the password "12345" and see how easy it is to crack and how ridiculous and hilarious it is to actually use such a combination for a password. Check out the video at the start of the article.
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