It doesn’t matter how solid your security system is –any hacker or online thief can figure out a weak password in a couple of hours through trial and error. Don’t risk being a victim of a security breach and data theft. Avoid these passwords that are especially easy to crack. For example, if you think using ‘password’ as your password is no big deal, then it’s time to rethink.
Security experts have recently compiled a list of the worst passwords users by sorting through millions of stolen passwords hackers had posted online. They found the word ‘password’ at the very top of the list.
To help you avoid common password choice mistakes that users make, management application provider SplashData has compiled a list of the 25 worst passwords to use:
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password
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123456
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12345678
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qwerty
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abc123
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monkey
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1234567
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letmein
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trustno1
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dragon
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baseball
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111111
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iloveyou
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master
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sunshine
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ashley
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bailey
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passw0rd
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shadow
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123123
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654321
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superman
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qazwsx
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michael
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football (hockey in Canada?)
Make a smart password choice. Experts advise using a combination of letters and numbers when creating your passwords, and to avoid things that anyone might be able to guess, such as birthdays and anniversary dates. Passwords with eight characters or more are safer and it’s best to use different passwords for different accounts and websites. One other suggestions is to create longer, more secure passwords that are easy to remember by using short words with spaces or other characters separating them. For example, “eat cake at 8!” or “car_park_city?” Use a password manager to help you keep track of all of your passwords if you’re finding it difficult to remember them all.
No matter how sophisticated your security system is, a weak password gives hackers and online thieves an advantage. Helping all the users in your organization understand the importance of password strength will help you secure the IT systems in your organization.
If you’re interested in learning more, please contact us so we can develop a comprehensive and custom security blueprint that meets your specific needs.