Here Are The Worst and Most Common Passwords of 2017
With a few days left before the end of 2017, SplashData has released the worst passwords of the year. Considering that they are responsible for password-managing apps such as SplashID and TeamsID, the list seems to be quite representative of the past year. Furthermore, a newcomer has debuted in the list: "starwars."
The list of the most common passwords of the year has been published and it is unsurprisingly headed by "123456". Despite ranking first for five consecutive years, it seems that publishing the list at the end of the year has done nothing in making users change it into a more secure password. Second on the list is "password," which was also in the second spot last year. Thus, the top ten most common passwords of the year are:
- 12346
- password
- 12345678
- qwerty
- 12345
- 123456789
- letmein
- 1234567
- football
- iloveyou
Meanwhile, "starwars" rests snuggly in the 16th spot of the worst passwords of the year, and is accompanied by newcomers: 123456789, letmein, iloveyou, monkey, 123123, hello, freedom, whatever, qazwsx, and trustno1.
"Unfortunately, while the newest episode may be a fantastic addition to the Star Wars franchise, 'starwars' is a dangerous password to use," said Morgan Slain, CEO of SplashData, Inc., in a statement. "Hackers are using common terms from pop culture and sports to break into accounts online because they know many people are using those easy-to-remember words. Hackers know your tricks, and merely tweaking an easily guessable password does not make it secure. Our hope is that our Worst Passwords of the Year list will cause people to take steps to protect themselves online."
Aside from providing the list of the worst passwords of 2017, the company has also indicated a few tips, which include using 12 characters of different types, using a different password for each login, and using a password manager to organize sensitive data.