Weak Passwords: “Jesus” Can’t Save You From Password Hackers

“Jesus” is the 21st most common password employed by internet users, but it’s not strong enough to protect your data.  Hackers work around the clock looking for ways to steal your identity, money, and private information. And poor password choices makes their work easier.  http://www.youtube.com/user/CoppermoonWebDesign

Use ‘strong’ passwords to protect your data

We tend to use passwords that are easy to remember, without considering their security strength.  If you are on the internet, you use passwords to look up your bank account, get mail, access Facebook or Twitter, buy the latest best seller from Amazon… each task requires a password.  Most of us view website password management as annoying at best, and a real headache at worst.  Your opinion probably depends on how many password accounts you have.  The more you have, the more of a hassle it seems.

What does a secure password look like?  At least 8 (12 is best) characters, with upper and lower case letters, symbols and at least one number.   Something like ‘A9bQgJt1rzL&’ . But that is hard to remember, so most of settle for something like ‘abc123’ (number 4 on the list) or ‘ninja‘ (number 23).

There are ways to make your passwords both secure and memorable.  For example, let’s say you moved to Phoenix in 1991.  Intermix the letters and numbers, something like this: PHo19en91iX  That is a strong password and one you can remember.

Security software developer Splashdata just released its annual list of the most used and insecure passwords. Their list is based on analysis of file dumps from online hackers.  Some of the entries are surprising, others not so much.  The most used password?  ‘password’ .

Here are some basic password rules to protect your identity, money and information.

• Never post or send your password via email, text, instant message, or on social media sites
• Don’t use your name as your password
• Don’t use the names of your spouse, kids, or pets as passwords
• Change all of your passwords at least twice a year
• Don’t use passwords that could be cracked by looking at your Facebook page.
• Never disclose your passwords in response to an email or a phone call
• Use some type of password management program that can be locked (of course, you have to remember the password for that!).

Here’s the list of the most commonly used passwords, in order of popularity.  If you use ANY password on this list, change it immediately!

password

123456

12345678

abc123

qwerty

monkey

letmein

dragon

111111

baseball

iloveyou

trustno1

1234567

sunshine

master

123123

welcome

shadow

ashley

football

jesus

michael

ninja

mustang

password1