The Top 5 Worst Passwords — and How to Pick the Strongest Ones
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Oh boy. SplashData — a password management firm — recently released its annual data on the top 25 worst passwords of 2015. Not surprisingly, many are the same as the worst passwords of 2014. Here are the top five from more than two million passwords that were leaked throughout the year, but you can see the full list here.
- 123456 (unchanged from 2014)
- password (unchanged)
- 12345678
- qwerty
- 12345
If you recognize any of these, change your passwords ASAP. And if you need help picking one that's easy for you to remember but hard for others to guess, follow the following tips from Veronica Mars herself. Yes, that Veronica Mars.
"It's the rare individual who chooses meaningless numbers as a combination," she once said as she attempted to unlock her dad's safe . . . again. The teen sleuth certainly knows a thing or two about security, be it online or elsewhere, so far be it for us to ignore her wisdom. With about a half-part common sense and another half private-eye wits, you can have those computer accounts on lockdown faster than you can say marshmallow. Take it from Veronica.
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Don't
Don't use easy-to-identify words. "The name of your dog or your boyfriend," as the IT guy tells Veronica, "actually makes it easier to crack." And don't use birthdays, anniversaries, or other trackable data, either.
Bonus tip? Don't leave your codes out for others to see. Veronica's take: "You wouldn't believe the number of people who keep the combination written down on a Post-it. Or tacked to a bulletin board. Or scribbled on a birthday page of their page-a-day calendar." Well, sadly enough, people still do it.
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Do
Make it long, make it strong, and make it extra, extra random. Veronica's email password when she was in high school? GJ7B!X. That's right — letters, numbers, and symbols. They may be harder to remember, but that's what the "Forgot your password?" feature is for.
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Do
Lie for your security answers. When you use your mom's actual maiden name, it would take any two-bit identity thief about a minute to find her on Facebook. Plus, if you make it something clever ("Wait for the space elevator," for example), it will be easier for you to remember, be harder for others to crack, and give you a good chuckle every time you have to type it in there.
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