Reduce Cyber Risk by Avoiding The 25 Worst Passwords of 2011
Posted on Mon, Dec 19, 2011
Cyber security is an ongoing process to deter hackers and protect against viruses and other risks to networked businesses. One of the ways to help lower business cyber risk, as well as personal, is to avoid using easy-to-crack passwords. Recent reports suggest that employees are becoming increasingly lazy with creating their passwords as the demand to maintain numerous passwords has increased.
Passwords are your first line of defense against other people accessing or using your computer and network. Encourage or even require employees to change their passwords frequently and choose passwords that are complex and cryptic enough to prevent others from guessing them or from cracking them.
SplashData, a password management application maker, recently compiled a list of the 25 worst passwords for the year 2011. The research results were based on millions of actually stolen passwords that were made available online. Here is the list of the worst online passwords for 2011.
- 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
Having cryptic passwords may not necessarily deter sophisticated, determined hackers. But they do make it much more difficult for amateur cyber thieves to breach online accounts.