25 'worst' web passwords

'Password' has topped a list of the 25 worst web passwords people commonly use to login into sites, leaving them more vulnerable to hackers. By Emma Barnett, Digital Media Editor

The second most common password is ‘123456’, another easy code for hackers to guess when trying to access people’s email or Facebook accounts.

Other passwords to make the list, generated by SplashData, an American password management data application, include: ‘abc123’, ‘iloveyou’ and ‘monkey’. The full list can be seen below.

Last month Facebook admitted that hackers are breaking into hundreds of thousands of Facebook accounts every day.

Out of more than a billion logins to the website every 24 hours, 600,000 are impostors attempting to access users’ messages, photos and other personal information Facebook said.

The figure is the first time that the social network has revealed how it is bombarded by hackers on a daily basis.

 

Security experts said the figure is a “big concern” and that people need to be more careful when choosing their passwords across the web.

Graham Cluley, a senior technology consultant at Sophos, a computer security organisation, said it was becoming easier to hack into more users’ Facebook accounts as thirty per cent of people online are using the same passwords across all of their digital accounts – making it simpler for hackers to control a person’s entire web identity.

Facebook is just one of the main target sites for hackers. Web users need to make sure that their passwords across email, banking and other digital services more complicated in order to avoid their personal information being compromised.

Morgan Slain, SplashData’s chief executive urged any consumers or businesses using a password featured on the ‘worst list’ to change them immediately.

“Hackers can easily break into many accounts just by repeatedly trying common passwords,” Slain said. “Even though people are encouraged to select secure, strong passwords, many people continue to choose weak, easy-to-guess ones, placing themselves at risk from fraud and identity theft.”

 

Top tips for choosing an internet password:
 
- Vary different types of characters in your passwords; include numbers, letters and special characters when possible. 
- Choose passwords of eight characters or more. Separate short words with spaces or underscores.
- Don’t use the same password and username combination for multiple websites. Use an online password manager to keep track of your different accounts.

 

The 25 ‘worst’ internet passwords:
1. password
2. 123456
3.12345678
4. qwerty
5. abc123
6. monkey
7. 1234567
8. letmein
9. trustno1
10. dragon
11. baseball
12. 111111
13. iloveyou
14. master
15. sunshine
16. ashley
17. bailey
18. passw0rd
19. shadow
20. 123123
21. 654321
22. superman
23. qazwsx
24. michael
25. football

So please if your password is one of these, change it!