New Delhi: If you thought data privacy is o uptmost importance in an age of data breaches and stolen passwords then think again.
A list of the most common stolen passwords compiled by SplashData shows that people aren't making such great choices with protecting their information. And “123456” again got highlighted in 2013. Previously, “password” had dominated the rankings.
SplashData used millions of stolen passwords made public throughout the year and made a top 25 most used passwords list.
A majority of the passwords were exposed through an Adobe hack that impacted 38 million people in October. A list of passwords from the Adobe breach had “123456” on top, followed by “123456789” and “password.”
The report highlights the need to avoid weak passwords as they are the first to fall to increasingly sophisticated cracking software. According to Splashtop, replacing letters with similar-looking numbers (such as “3” instead of “E) is not an effective strategy. Instead, consider using phrases of random words separated by spaces or underscores, and using different passwords, at least for your most sensitive accounts.
Here's the full list of worst passwords from 2013, according to Splashdata:
