Most people set simple passwords when setting up a new online account, so that they can remember yet another password easily. But Adobe Systems Incorporated (NASDAQ:ADBE)’s security breach a few months ago show that how easily we can fall victims to cyber crime. The software company recently revealed that hackers broke into its systems and stolen user names, credit card information and passwords of more than 38 million customers.
25 worsts passwords
To help you protect your online accounts, SplashData has compiled the list of worst passwords in 2013. For the first time, the most commonly used password “password” was dethroned by “123456” as the worst password. Before compiling the list, SplashData also evaluated passwords that Adobe Systems Incorporated (NASDAQ:ADBE) users posted online through Stricture Consulting Group after the security breach.
Adobe Systems Incorporated (NASDAQ:ADBE) users were using “photoshop” and “adobe 123” as passwords. Morgan Slain, CEO of SplashData says you shouldn’t use the name of an application or website as your password because that’s easily guessable. Many other people continue to use weak passwords like “qwerty”, “1111111”, “iloveyou” and “abc123.” Check the above list of 25 worst passwords and stay away from them.
How to create a strong password
SplashData offers some valuable advice if you need help to create a strong password. One, use different passwords for different websites. It’s extremely risky to use the same username/password combination on several websites. Two, it’s better to use eight or more characters with mixed types when creating passwords. In some cases, even that can be vulnerable to hackers’ advancing technology. On the other hand, passwords with random combinations such as “j%7K&yPx$” are not easy to remember. But there is a way to come up with more secure passwords. Use short words with spaces or other characters to separate them. For example, “smiles_light_skip?” and “cakes years birthday.” They are easy to remember and secure.
Make sure that your online presence is safe and secure by changing your passwords on a regular interval.
