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Subject: Revealed: the worst passwords of 2011 Wed Nov 23, 2011 4:06 am

Quote :: Revealed: the worst passwords of 2011
November 21, 2011

Pro tip: choosing “password” as your online password is not a good idea. In fact, unless you’re hoping to be an easy target for hackers, it’s the worst password you can possibly choose.

“Password” ranks first on password management application provider SplashData’s annual list of worst internet passwords, which are ordered by how common they are. (“Passw0rd”, with a numeral zero, isn’t much smarter, ranking 18th on the list.)

The list is somewhat predictable: sequences of adjacent numbers or letters on the keyboard, such as “qwerty” and “123456,” and popular names, such as “ashley” and “michael”, all are common choices. Other common choices, such as “monkey” and “shadow”, are harder to explain.

As some websites have begun to require passwords to include both numbers and letters, it makes sense varied choices, such as “abc123″ and “trustno1”, are popular choices.

SplashData created the rankings based on millions of stolen passwords posted online by hackers. Here is the complete list:

1. password
2. 123456
3.12345678
4. qwerty
5. abc123
6. monkey
7. 1234567
8. letmein
9. trustno1
10. dragon
11. baseball
12. 111111
13. iloveyou
14. master
15. sunshine
16. ashley
17. bailey
18. passw0rd
19. shadow
20. 123123
21. 654321
22. superman
23. qazwsx
24. michael
25. football

SplashData CEO Morgan Slain urges businesses and consumers using any password on the list to change them immediately.

“Hackers can easily break into many accounts just by repeatedly trying common passwords,” Slain says. “Even though people are encouraged to select secure, strong passwords, many people continue to choose weak, easy-to-guess ones, placing themselves at risk from fraud and identity theft.”

The company provided some tips for choosing secure passwords in a statement:

1. Vary different types of characters in your passwords; include numbers, letters and special characters when possible.
2. Choose passwords of eight characters or more. Separate short words with spaces or underscores.
3. Don’t use the same password and username combination for multiple websites. Use an online password manager to keep track of your different accounts.

Source:
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/security/revealed-the-worst-passwords-of-2011-20111121-1npr1.html#ixzz1eWOvXzCI

Subject: Re: Revealed: the worst passwords of 2011 Wed Nov 23, 2011 10:04 am

Passwords are a hassle and when you try to make complex security you lose security because how do you remember the passwords to all the sites and accounts you have.

So, I have a list sitting by my computer at home with all my passwords. That is bad security, but since my IE goes directly to my Earthlink homepage and since all my favorites are open on that computer it is no less secure to a person in my apartment than just logging onto my computer.

I carry that paper in my luggage when traveling because I need those passwords on outside computers that don't have cookies. Again bad security, but what can you do?

"Use an online password manager to keep track of your different accounts."

Yeah, and if that gets compromised it would be more directly accessible to hackers than the paper list in my backpack.

Subject: Re: Revealed: the worst passwords of 2011 Wed Nov 23, 2011 12:23 pm

I remember all of my passwords. They usually have something in common with each so its not hard to forget.

Subject: Re: Revealed: the worst passwords of 2011 Thu Nov 24, 2011 1:45 am

I have my bill pay credit card passwords in my address book. Maybe not the best idea, but that book never leaves the house.

For forums, I remember them.

Subject: Re: Revealed: the worst passwords of 2011 Sat Nov 26, 2011 1:17 am

I only use one (two at the most....and that's only because some want more characters than my usual) for all my online accounts. I can't be bothered trying to remember different passwords for different sites.

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Revealed: the worst passwords of 2011