Worst Passwords of 2012

Internet November 1, 2012 Noemi

The year 2012 is not quite over yet, but we have had a lot of incidents of security breaches. Correct me if I’m wrong,...

The year 2012 is not quite over yet, but we have had a lot of incidents of security breaches. Correct me if I’m wrong, but hackers seem to be getting smarter and more creative, while some users just continue being lazy and lax when it comes to security. How do you measure up in terms of ensuring your security online?

Recently, SplashData shared its list of the worst passwords of 2012. This list is annually compiled by the company, which develops password management programs. The list comes, not from a survey, but from hackers themselves, who post the common passwords they encounter. That’s as good – or as bad – as it gets!

The worst passwords of 2012 are:

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

Many of the items on the list are not surprising at all, and in fact, the experts say that many of the bad passwords have merely changed rankings in the list. “Welcome” as a password, however, is taken to be a surprising addition.

So, after taking a look at that list, can you honestly say that not one of your current passwords is included? Even a slight variation?

The implications

You might not have to go far to understand the situation. Just take the time to examine your password creation/use habits. Do you use different passwords for every single account? Do you change passwords regularly?

If the worst passwords of 2012 are not all that different from that of last year’s, then it does mean that people are not changing their passwords. Additionally, experts say that there are still people who do not change the default passwords in some of their accounts! Now, you may think that ridiculously stupid, but it does happen!

All this points to the possibility that users may not be all that concerned about their online security. Either that or we’re just too lazy to do something about it.

Strong Passwords

What to do?

Speaking of doing something about it, with all the password management tools available today, even the most forgetful and laziest user has no excuse to use secure passwords. There is even no need to remember all of them! I personally use LastPass, which allows me to save all my passwords in one secure location. I only have to remember my LastPass password, and I am good to go wherever I am, whatever machine I use. Additionally, this program can generate secure passwords and autofill login details if you set it up. It really does everything for you!

If you want to create passwords manually but keep them secure and memorable, here’s a practical guide to keep your passwords safe and private.

[Images via 4thmedia and Theemailadmin]

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Worst Passwords of 2012