In 2015, Passwords Didn’t Get Any Better

It’s tough to understand why, between all of the warnings and all of the breaches, people are still using terrible passwords. The most popular passwords of 2015 were not much safer than those of past years. What are the worst offenders? Is it time for you to change some of your passwords to avoid becoming an easy target for hackers? Read on to learn more about password security.

The Worst of the Worst

Unfortunately, two of the worst passwords of all time have remained the two most used.

• 123456 (although an improvement on the 12345 joked about as a terrible password all the way back in 1987 in the Mel Brooks’ film, “Spaceballs”)
• password (that’s right, people are still simply using the word “password” in all lowercase letters)

The Word Password in All Its Forms

Besides the standard “password,” people are still trying to get creative with the word “password.” It’s really not much better, even if you use:

• passwOrd (capital O)
• pa$$word (double dollar signs)
• passw0rd (that’s with a zero)

Capitalizing the P has also become popular. Simply avoid using the word “password” at all in 2016.

What About Just Running Across the Keyboard?

This is another favorite choice for password users—picking a starting spot and following a pattern around the keyboard. Popular variants include:

• 1234567
• 12345678
• 123456789
• 1234567890
• 1qaz2wsx (keys down left side of keyboard)
• qwertyuiop (top row of keys)

You get the idea. These are terrible passwords.

Pop Culture – Another Mistake

Passwords that have to do with something popular are also a bad idea. Thanks to the latest “Star Wars” movie, some of the most popular passwords of 2015 were:

• starwars
• solo
• princess

Favorite sports like football and baseball are also common.

How to Create Better Passwords

Do you have to make all of your passwords something impossible to remember simply to be secure? Not necessarily. Actually, the most secure passwords are longer and not necessarily more complicated. For example:

• AmericaBoatOceanEurope
• SkyBirdPlaneSuperman

Of course, some servers now require a mix of capital letters, numbers, and special characters, so you might have to get slightly more creative. Remember—when it comes to passwords, uniqueness matters.

When it comes to passwords, protect yourself with unique passwords. You’ll be glad you did.