123456 is the most common internet password
Security experts have issued a warning after discovering the number of people who use common passwords to protect themselves online.A recent study of 32 million passwords found 20 percent of people use common words or phrases such as abc123, iloveyou and Password.
Experts from Imperva claim this makes some users particularly susceptible to hackers and identity theft - even by just guessing at random passwords.
As 20 percent of people use one of the 5000 most common passwords, it's claimed that it would take only one attempt to guess 0.9% of the users passwords. This is a rate of one success per 111 attempts.
They have even compiled a worrying list of the top 5 most common passwords, topped by 123456. D'oh I guess I'd better change that then.
Top 5 most common passwords
1. 123456
2. 12345
3. 123456789
4. Password
5. iloveyou
The experts suggest that when selecting a new password you should not go for a name, a slang word, or any word in the dictionary. It should also not include any part of your name or your e-mail address or use consecutive digits and adjacent keyboard keys.
LINKS
Imperva
Password Report (pdf)
1. 123456
2. 12345
3. 123456789
4. Password
5. iloveyou
The experts suggest that when selecting a new password you should not go for a name, a slang word, or any word in the dictionary. It should also not include any part of your name or your e-mail address or use consecutive digits and adjacent keyboard keys.
LINKS
Imperva
Password Report (pdf)
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