If you use the internet, chances are your digital life is a myriad of usernames and passwords, hopefully differing for each site. If you use a mix of capitalisation, symbols, and numbers, this list could be entertaining. But if your password appears here, you need to make a change urgently.
SplashData released its annual list of the most common passwords. “123456” tops the list again with other numerical variations also making an appearance. Unsurprisingly, “password” secures the runners-up spot for the second year in a row.
There are also some newcomers, though they indicate how popular culture impacts peoples’ choices. “Superman,” “Batman” and “Dragon” all made an appearance, the latter perhaps based on the recent draw of Game of Thrones.
The list was compiled by analysing 3.3 million leaked passwords that came out during 2014. Most of the passwords are from North American and Western European accounts.
2014’s Most Popular Passwords:
- 123456
- password
- 12345
- 12345678
- qwerty
- 1234567890
- 1234
- baseball
- dragon
- football
- 1234567
- monkey
- letmein
- abc123
- 111111
- mustang
- access
- shadow
- master
- michael
- superman
- 696969
- 123123
- batman
- trustno1
As Jimmy Kimmel recently pointed out in a show bit, we need to take more responsibility for our online security. Certain combinations of words are not secure and remember not to tell your password to someone on the street. Watch the video for more password security related entertainment.
In Short: With more of our lives going online, it’s essential to choose a secure password. Better not choose any of the passwords that appear here.