We built a digital world, now we must live in it
It’s a timely concern. When data breaches occur, passwords get posted by hackers on the dark web. Concerns are running high.
Cybersecurity experts say: Don’t use “password” for your password. Do enable 2FA (two-factor authentication).
According to a new report from mobile security firm Lookout, these are America’s 20 passwords most commonly found in leaked account information.
The smart money says if you use any of these passwords—even worse if you use one or more of these on multiple accounts—change them immediately. P.S. Adding a !#@&?* or whatever won’t help.
- 123456
- 123456789
- Qwerty
- Password
- 12345
- 12345678
- 111111
- 1234567
- 123123
- Qwerty123
- 1q2w3e
- 1234567890
- DEFAULT
- 0
- Abc123
- 654321
- 123321
- Qwertyuiop
- Iloveyou
- 666666
More advice (which naturally comes from folks wanting to sell us password keeper software management) can be taken for free. They say that in addition to words and phrases such as “iloveyou,” popular passwords use words like football, baseball, Cali or Newyork. Passwords containing pop bands, sports teams, car brands, swear words, common first names, and names for pets are also often considered weak. Going with “let me in,” “chocolate,” or “babygirl”? Those passwords take hackers just three seconds or less to crack, according to Nordpass in a 2020 study.
