Every year since since 2011 SplashData, a company specializing in security data, ID, and password management apps and programs for PC’s and mobile devices, has created a list of the top 100 most used passwords. The list is created by data farmed from more than five million passwords that are leaked by hackers, data breaches, and other sources.
SplashData has noted in the past that even though people are aware of the risks of using popular insecure passwords, millions of people continue to use them anyway to “protect” their online information.
One might think, why would anyone risk such exposure? Are we all lazy? Do we just not care? I personally think it’s a little of both. I also think we might be suffering some sort of password fatigue.
There is absolutely a legitimate place for hardcore passwords to protect real information that people need to be concerned with. Online financial accounts, medical information, and other things containing personal information you might not want the world to know do need to be protected and secure. On that end we are failing and that’s bad.
Stupid things like blogs, forums, and video games, take passwords way too far, and are probably what’s causing some of us not to care anymore. Of course these things need minor passwords to keep normal people from logging in and messing with your stuff, or posting as you or whatever. But the password requirements are getting outrageous. Some video game sites now require up to 12 characters, including 1 capital, 1 symbol, and at least 1 number, as an additional requirement, and that’s usually followed by a multi layered CAPTCHA phrase that would probably stump Deep Blue.
Maybe if we stop trying to protect the dumb crap as if it’s Fort Knox, we would be more willing to put 4 seconds of effort in protecting the stuff that actually matters?
The 100 worst and most popular passwords of 2017
- 123456
- password
- 12345678
- qwerty
- 12345
- 123456789
- letmein
- 1234567
- football
- iloveyou
- admin
- welcome
- monkey
- login
- abc123
- starwars
- 123123
- dragon
- 1passw0rd
- master
- hello
- freedom
- whatever
- qazwsx
- trustno1
- 654321
- jordan23
- harley
- password1
- 1234
- robert
- matthew
- jordan
- asshole
- daniel
- andrew
- lakers
- andrea
- buster
- johsua
- 1qaz2wsx
- 12341234
- ferrari
- cheese
- computer
- corvette
- blahblah
- george
- mercedes
- 121212
- maverick
- fuckyou
- nicole
- hunter
- sunshine
- tigger
- 1989
- merlin
- ranger
- solo
- banana
- chelsea
- summer
- 1990
- 1991
- phoenix
- amanda
- cookie
- ashley
- bandit
- killer
- aaaaa
- pepper
- jessica
- zaq1zaq1
- jennifer
- test
- hockey
- dallas
- passwor
- michelle
- admin123
- pussy
- pass
- asdf
- william
- soccer
- london
- 1q2w3e
- 1992
- biteme
- maggie
- querty
- rangers
- charlie
- martin
- ginger
- golfer
- yankees
- thunder
(Editor’s note: Using any of the above passwords will put you at risk of losing whatever it is you think you are protecting.)
Night Owl Question of the night: Have you ever used any of these? What is your pass… uh nevermind.
