Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity
    • Blogs
    • First Read

    ‘123456’ Overtakes ‘Password’ as Weakest Password

    By
    Jeff Burt
    -
    January 22, 2014
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      The good news? The word “password” is not the weakest password found on the Internet. The bad news? It’s still number two, and the top one is “123456.”

      That’s according to SplashData, a company that makes software for mobile phones and has been keeping the list for at least three years. The company compiles the annual list by going through the passwords exposed in data breaches during the year and culling out the most popular.

      The goal is to encourage people to use passwords that are more difficult for hackers to crack, according to SpashData officials.

      “As always, we hope that with more publicity about how risky it is to use weak passwords, more people will start taking simple steps to protect themselves by using stronger passwords and using different passwords for different websites,” CEO Morgan Slain said in a statement.

      The 25 passwords on the list of the worst of 2013, released Jan. 21, are examples of what users should not do, according to SplashData. Many are easily guessable—think “qwerty” at number four, “iloveyou” at number 9 or “admin,” a new word on the list, at number 12. There are also several passwords that use a small number of numerals, from “111111” at number seven, “1234” at 16, “12345” at 20 and “000000” at 25.

      A couple of the passwords new on the list stem from the security breach last year at Adobe, where personal information for up to as many as 2.9 million of the company’s customers was compromised. Popping up on SplashData’s list were “adobe123” at number 10 and “photoshop” at number 15.

      “Seeing passwords like ‘adobe123’ and ‘photoshop’ on this list offers a good reminder not to base your password on the name of the website or application you are accessing,” Slain said.

      The company’s entire list can be found on its Website.

      Security firms and tech vendors alike for years have warned computer users about the need for strong passwords to guard against attackers gaining access to personal information. Data breaches are not uncommon, and cyber-thieves have tools that can quickly break simple and weak passwords. Researchers at Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon in December unveiled a tool called Telepathwords, which models the ways cyber-criminals try to figure out passwords based on common patterns.

      Telepathwords was created in hopes of encouraging users to opt for stronger passwords.

      McAfee, Intel’s security division, last year rolled out a list of suggestions for creating strong passwords. Among the suggestions were using long passwords that feature a combination of upper-case and lower-case letters, as well as numbers, spaces and other characters. The longer the password, the better. In addition, McAfee—as well as most security experts—say users should use different passwords for each Internet site they get into.

      Jeff Burt
      Jeffrey Burt has been with eWEEK since 2000, covering an array of areas that includes servers, networking, PCs, processors, converged infrastructure, unified communications and the Internet of things.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×