by Internet and device security is coming under increased scrutiny, as the world we live in becomes more and more connected.
We’re now living in a world where it’s not just our laptops and computers that connect to the internet. It’s our watches, fitness bands, TVs, fridges, washing machines, speakers, lightbulbs, and even our cars.
With so much connectivity, and the fact that we’re storing so much personal information online and on our devices, you’d think that we’d be getting better at creating superior, more secure passwords. It turns out, however, that this is not the case.
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The SplashData Worst Password List
For the sixth consecutive year, SplashData has compiled their annual report of the Worst Passwords, which is based on more than five million leaked passwords during the year.
Some of the most commonly used passwords include three variations of the word “password”. This includes “passw0rd” and “password1”. This, along with “123456”, are the two most commonly used passwords.
“Making minor modifications to an easily guessable password does not make it secure. Hackers will take advantage of these tendencies,” says Morgan Slain, CEO of SplashData, Inc. “Our hope is that by researching and putting out this list each year, people will realize how risky it is to use these common logins, and will take steps to strengthen their passwords and use different passwords for different websites.”
The Worst Passwords Of 2016
Star Wars-themed choices including “princess” and “solo” continue to keep the Force alive on the Worst Passwords list for the second year, while sports terms have dropped off. The only sport to make it into the Top 25 was “football” in the number five spot.
There are new appearances on the list which include “hottie”, “loveme”, and “flower”.
One other new entry is “zaq1zaq1″. This is clearly based on tapping keys on the left column on a standard keyboard.
Simple numerical passwords remain on the list with five of the top ten passwords consisting of only numbers.
| Rank | Password | Change from 2015 |
| 1 | 123456 | Unchanged |
| 2 | password | Unchanged |
| 3 | 12345 | Up 2 |
| 4 | 12345678 | Down 1 |
| 5 | football | Up 2 |
| 6 | qwerty | Down 2 |
| 7 | 1234567890 | Up 5 |
| 8 | 1234567 | Up 1 |
| 9 | princess | Up 12 |
| 10 | 1234 | Down 2 |
| 11 | login | Up 9 |
| 12 | welcome | Down 1 |
| 13 | solo | Up 1 |
| 14 | abc123 | Down 1 |
| 15 | admin | New |
| 16 | 121212 | New |
| 17 | flower | New |
| 18 | passw0rd | Up 6 |
| 19 | dragon | Down 3 |
| 20 | sunshine | New |
| 21 | master | Down 4 |
| 22 | hottie | New |
| 23 | loveme | New |
| 24 | zaq1zaq1 | New |
| 25 | password1 | New |
3 Tips For Creating a Secure Password
With just over 10% of people using at least one of the 25 worst passwords on this year’s list – and nearly 4% of people using the worst two (‘password’ and ‘123456’) – here are three tips to consider when creating a new password:
- Use a password with eight or more characters, ensuring that it’s a mixture of numbers, letters and other allowable characters (emojis do not work in a password).
- Avoid using the same username / password combination for multiple websites.
- Use a password manager to help generate random passwords, as well as store them for you.
