The Force is definitely not with the worst passwords of 2015
Some things online never change – including terrible passwords. SplashData has just unveiled its 2015 list of the Internet’s worst passwords. The data was gleaned from around 2 million different passwords that were leaked online during the year.
Sadly, the top two passwords remain the same – “123456” and the always reliable “password.” A number of Star Wars-themed passwords are new to the list, more than likely because of the release of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” in December.
Here’s the complete list of shame. In parenthesis is the change from the 2014 edition:
There is hope1 123456 (Unchanged) 2 password (Unchanged) 3 12345678 (Up 1) 4 qwerty (Up 1) 5 12345 (Down 2) 6 123456789 (Unchanged) 7 football (Up 3) 8 1234 (Down 1) 9 1234567 (Up 2) 10 baseball (Down 2) 11 welcome (New) 12 1234567890 (New) 13 abc123 (Up 1) 14 111111 (Up 1) 15 1qaz2wsx (New) 16 dragon (Down 7) 17 master (Up 2) 18 monkey (Down 6) 19 letmein (Down 6) 20 login (New) 21 princess (New) 22 qwertyuiop (New) 23 solo (New) 24 passw0rd (New) 25 starwars (New)
So what if your password is on this list? Our best advice is to change it to a longer and more random phrase and take advantage of the huge number of password managers available to help protect your personal information.
My favorite is 1Password. The software is available on the Mac and iOS devices and is a great way to start adding a big dose of security to your online life.
The iOS app, compatible with the iPhone/iPod touch and all iPad models, can be downloaded now on the App Store for free. With an in-app purchase of $9.99, you can unlock a number of other premium features. The Mac version is available on the Mac App Store for $49.99.
Other great password managers compatible with iOS devices include LastPass and Dashlane.
For other news today, see: Apple releases iOS 9.2.1 with bug fixes and more, Get your data for nothing and your bytes for free from Verizon, and 5 ways Cupertino could improve content search on Apple TV.