Security

These Were the Most Common Passwords in 2016

Despite advice from security experts, tech experts, and beyond, many people still aren’t taking the time to make their passwords unique, complex, long, and strong. The following are the most common passwords from 2016. A password company recently released this list, and it shows that not much has changed in the realm of common passwords. If your password is on this list, then you should highly consider either using a random password generator or else create a more unique password to prevent hackers from easily accessing your information.

Tips for Creating a Good Password
Many hackers purchase machines that can test billions of passwords in minutes, so it’s important to have a password that is not common. When you look at the top passwords from 2016, it’s pretty clear that most of them are easy to type and easy to remember. The only downside to that is if it’s easy for you to type and remember, then it’s probably easy for others to type and remember. You want your password to be as unique as possible to keep your password safe from hackers and thieves.

Another password problem to avoid is using personal information in your password. Passwords that have a sports team, kids’ names, phone number, or birthday are very susceptible to being hacked. Hackers can find this personal information on your public social media accounts and then plug it into their machines to create password combinations of your personal information.

When creating a password, remember to use numbers, symbols, upper- and lowercase letters, and to make it as long as possible. If you’re having trouble thinking of a new password, try using a passphrase. Just make sure that the phrase is not a commonly known phrase, such as those related to a nursery rhyme or a historical event.

Top Passwords from 2016
Many people will be surprised that “password” is still in the top 10 passwords, but the even more shocking fact is that “123456” made up almost 17% of the 10 million passwords that the security company analyzed. This also means that simple passwords like “password” and “123456” are the most likely to be hacked.

These are the top passwords from 2016: 123456, 123456789, qwerty, 123445678, 111111, 1234567890, 1234567, password, 123123, 987654321, qwertyuiop, mynoob, 123321, 666666, 18atcskd2w, 7777777, 1q2w3e4r, 654321, 555555, 3rjs1la7qe, google, 1q2w3e4r5t, 123qwe, zxcvbnm, and 1q2w3e.

If your password was on this list, then it’s time for you to find a random password generator online or create all new passwords to keep your private information and data safe from hackers.

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The dfndr blog is an informative channel that presents exclusive content on security and privacy in the mobile and business world, with tips to keep users protected. Populated by a select group of expert reporters, the channel has a partnership with dfndr lab's security team. Together they bring you, first-notice news about attacks, scams, internet vulnerabilities, malware and everything affecting cybersecurity.