WASHINGTON – A list of 25 worst passwords of 2013 suggests computer users remain more concerned with remembering their passwords than making them tough for crooks to infiltrate.
For the first time since SplashData began compiling its annual list of worst passwords, “password” has been unseated as the most commonly used password.
Topping this year’s list of easy-to-figure-out passwords is “123456.”
After Adobe’s massive security breach, security consulting firm Stricture Group released its list of top 100 passwords used with Adobe software.
“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,” says Morgan Slain, CEO of SplashData.
Here is the list of 25 worst passwords of 2013, and their ranking change since 2012:
| 1 | 123456 | Up 1 |
| 2 | password | Down 1 |
| 3 | 12345678 | Unchanged |
| 4 | qwerty | Up 1 |
| 5 | abc123 | Down 1 |
| 6 | 123456789 | New |
| 7 | 111111 | Up 2 |
| 8 | 1234567 | Up 5 |
| 9 | iloveyou | Up 2 |
| 10 | adobe123 | New |
| 11 | 123123 | Up 5 |
| 12 | sunshine | Up 2 |
| 13 | 1234567890 | New |
| 14 | letmein | Down 7 |
| 15 | photoshop | New |
| 16 | 1234 | New |
| 17 | monkey | Down 11 |
| 18 | shadow | Unchanged |
| 19 | sunshine | Down 5 |
| 20 | 12345 | New |
| 21 | password1 | Up 4 |
| 22 | princess | New |
| 23 | azerty | New |
| 24 | trustno1 | Down 12 |
| 25 | (six zeroes) | New |
How to create better passwords
SplashData suggests using passwords with eight characters or more, combining letters, numbers, and symbols.
Passphrases – short words with spaces or other characters separating them – are secure, yet easier to remember than random combinations of characters, numbers, and letters.
Avoid using the same username/password combinations when possible.
Especially risky is using the same password for entertainment sites and online email, social networking and financial services sites, according to SplashData.
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