A new report has outlined the most popular passwords of 2017, and the numerical string “12345678” tops a list that includes such impenetrable puzzle boxes such as “linkedin”, “football” and − of course − “Password”.
However, the research, which was conducted by security firm Dashline in conjunction with Virginia Tech, notes that it’s not exactly recording the most common passwords, but rather the most common “password bases”.
You know how some sites ask that you include numbers or symbols as part of your password? Well, if you’re in the habit of just adding a number onto the end of the password you were going to use anyway, then you’re not alone.
Hence, “password” is the password base for everything from “password1” to “Password!”.
Here’s the top 10 in full:
- 12345678
- Password
- Iloveyou
- football
- princess
- baseball
- sunshine
- 1q2w3e4r
- superman
Simple steps to stay safe
Reusing these common passwords is not just a bad idea because they’re easy to guess, but also because using the same password across multiple sites adds its own insecurities. Amazon’s servers are unlikely to be hacked anytime soon, but if you use the same password for an account on a smaller, less secure site, then they might as well be.
The solution? Use a password manager to generate a unique and strong password for each site you need login details for, and then have that manager save those passwords so you don’t have to remember them. Our guide to the best password managers contains our top recommendations.
If you want to go further, then our complete guide to internet security has all the information you need to stay safe online.
How much does lax password security annoy you? Get in touch with us @TrustedReviews.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
