Posted by: TAZ Networks on December 20, 2019 at 8:00 am
Did any of your passwords show up on this list?
It’s Bad Passwords Time Again!
Every year, SplashData releases a list of the 100 worst passwords of the year. These are the passwords that show up the most in data hacks and breaches.
(Click to read our analyses of the 2017 and 2018 lists.)
This year, it appears that people are finally taking advice about bad passwords to heart. Some perennial favorites have moved down. For example, password dropped from second to fourth. Sunshine showed up in the top 10 for the past couple of years, but plummeted to #30 for 2019.
However, strings of numbers continue to hold strong (?) in the top 10, along with favorites qwerty and iloveyou.
How to Make Passwords More Secure
We could go on all day, calling out the first names and people names and car models and sports teams that people use as passwords. But, our point in sharing this with you is to help you and your staff keep your network secure. We recommend using the list as a guide to the least-secure passwords you could possibly use. You may, in fact, consider prohibiting staff from using any of these terms as passwords.
It’s human nature, however, to make passwords that are easy to remember. Here are some ways to make passwords safer and more secure:
- Use a password manager
- Require multi-factor authentication
- Institute policies requiring strong passwords
- Time-limit passwords, requiring changes at regular intervals
Need more help? TAZ Networks provides managed network security services to small and mid-sized businesses in the metro Detroit area. Fill out the form on this page and one of our account managers will contact you.