If you’ve slacked off with your online security as of late, you might want to take a look at the 25 most popular passwords of 2013. And, change every single one of yours stat.
The Independent reports on a recent survey by mobile software developers SplashData that suggests we aren’t particularly inventive with our secret words and phrases. But, for the first time “password” is off the top spot and “123456” takes its place.
The survey compiled its information from the millions of passwords that were stolen in 2013 and published online. And, it is probably the reason why “photoshop” and “adobe123” are on the list, as last year Adobe experienced a massive security breach when an estimated 38 million users’ details were targeted.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
If you are one of the millions who use the same old password for every single site, SplashData suggests a different approach: “Avoid using the same username/password combination for multiple websites. Especially risky is using the same password for entertainment sites that you do for online email, social networking, or financial service sites. Use different passwords for each new website or service you sign up for.”
And, if EDK59-2K just won’t stick in your brain, don’t fear. The company offers an alternative solution: “One way to create more secure passwords that are easy to recall is to use passphrases, short words with spaces or other characters separating them. It's best to use random words rather than common phrases. For example, 'cakes years birthday' or 'smiles_light_skip?'"
Click through to see the entire list and let us know if you've ever used any of the top 25 passwords in the comments section below. Seriously, no judgement. (The Independent)