Homer Simpson’s catch phrase is one, simple word: D’oh! And no better word could sum up how we’re feeling after reading SplashData’s annual list of worst passwords of the year.
In fact, if people were smart enough to use D’oh as their password, it’d be more secure than about 99% of 2014’s worst. Most alarming, however, is the fact that it appears our society is learning nothing. The worst passwords in 2014 were: “123456,” followed by “password.” Yes, you guessed it, both were on top of last year’s list.
Whether it is a number sequence, a birthday year or some other common phrase, these passwords are all terrible. Do we, as a people, care? We should because somewhere, an online hacker is salivating!
And, without further adieu, here are the top 25 worst passwords from 2014. In parentheses, you’ll find out how that password did in 2013.
1. 123456 (Unchanged from 2013)
2. password (Unchanged)
3. 12345 (Up 17)
4. 12345678 (Down 1)
5. qwerty (Down 1)
6. 234567890 (Unchanged)
7. 1234 (Up 9)
8. baseball (New)
9. dragon (New)
10. football (New)
11. 1234567 (Down 4)
12. monkey (Up 5)
13. letmein (Up 1)
14. abc123 (Down 9)
15. 111111 (Down 8)
16. mustang (New)
17. access (New)
18. shadow (Unchanged)
19. master (New)
20. michael (New)
21. superman (New)
22. 696969 (New)
23. 123123 (Down 12)
24. batman (New)
25. trustno1 (Down 1)
To have one of the most secure passwords, try following these tips:
- Strive for more than 8 characters
- Mix in symbols and numbers throughout
- Don’t use personal information
