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The 25 worst passwords of 2011
AP
Workers man computers in a modern office building in the Taft Corners industrial park in Williston, Vt., Thursday, July 10, 2003. In a series of cubicles before glowing computer screens, specially trained federal law enforcement officers and technicians are answering a nationwide toll-free telephone number set up by the Department of Homeland Security as part of its just-announced Operation Predator. It's a new chore for some of the 300 or so people who work at the Law Enforcement Support Center, a part of the federal Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the investigative arm of the new Department of Homeland Security. The main job of the Williston office is to provide instant immigration information to local and state law enforcement agencies across the country.(AP Photo/Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
"Letmein ... iloveyou, master, superman, dragon; trustno1." And with that you have just read not the opening lines to a bad novel, but six words and phrases that are among the "25 worst passwords of 2011."
The list was compiled by SplashData, which makes various apps, including computer and mobile programs to help keep passwords secure. But with passwords like these below,fuggedaboutit. Here's their list of the worst for the year:
1. password
2. 123456
3. 12345678
4. qwerty
5. abc123
6. monkey
7. 1234567
8. letmein
9. trustno1
10. dragon
11. baseball
12. 111111
13. iloveyou
14. master
15. sunshine
16. ashley
17. bailey
18. passwOrd
19. shadow
20. 123123
21. 654321
22. superman
23. qazwsx
24. michael
25. football
So, turn off the "football" game for a bit, or come in from the "sunshine," and change your passwords if they even remotely resemble any of these. ESET researcher Paul Laudanski's blog, "No chocolates for my passwords please!" has a list of good tips on how to come up with passwords that won't leave you feeling like a "monkey."
Related stories:
- Even the IT folks aren't always password proficient
- No more '123456' passwords for Hotmail users
- Yeah, I changed my password last ... never
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