This article was published on January 19, 2016

Everyone knows what your password is


Everyone knows what your password is Image by: Shutterstock

We all know it’s important to create strong passwords to stop cyber criminals hacking into our digital lives and there are plenty of companies offering ways to make it easier for you to create or remember them.

But we laugh in the face of danger, right?

Security firm Splash Data has just released its annual list of the most popular passwords stolen over the course of the year and despite the growing sophistication of cyber criminals, and efforts of governments to protect us, we apparently give no shits.

For three years running ‘123456’ has been the most popular found (and stolen) password on the Web followed, unsurprisingly, by ‘password.’

In a bid to outdo would-be hackers, many people have amended this to ‘passw0rd’ but that now makes it onto the list as a new entrant as attackers catch on to our game.

Demonstrating how popular culture even leaks into our password-concoction process, ‘starwars,’ ‘princess’ and ‘solo’ also make the top 25 in 2015.

Of course, cyber criminals are also big Star Wars fans too.

Passwords of 2015 [Splash Data Blog via Gizmodo]

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