The 25 Worst Passwords of 2011

I hate to break it to you, but if you’re actually using “123456″ as your password, you deserve to get hacked.

Know what’s even worse? Using the word “password”.

SplashData has compiled its annual list of the worst passwords on the internet and, as you might expect, things like “qwerty” and “qazwsx” have definitely made the list.

Also, when websites tell you to use a combination of letters and numbers to create your password, I don’t think “abc123″ is what they had in mind.

So here’s a look at this year’s top 25 worst internet passwords.

1. password

2. 123456

3. 12345678

4. qwerty

5. abc123

6. monkey

7. 1234567

8. letmein

9. trustno1

10. dragon

11. baseball

12. 111111

13. iloveyou

14. master

15. sunshine

16. ashley

17. bailey

18. passw0rd

19. shadow

20. 123123

21. 654321

22. superman

23. qazwsx

24. michael

25. football

SplashData CEO Morgan Slain says if you’re using any of these passwords, you should change them immediately.

“Hackers can easily break into many accounts just by repeatedly trying common passwords,” Slain says. “Even though people are encouraged to select secure, strong passwords, many people continue to choose weak, easy-to-guess ones, placing themselves at risk from fraud and identity theft.”

The company provided some tips for choosing secure passwords:

1. Vary different types of characters in your passwords; include numbers, letters and special characters when possible.

2. Choose passwords of eight characters or more. Separate short words with spaces or underscores.

3. Don’t use the same password and username combination for multiple websites. Use an online password manager to keep track of your different accounts.

So how about you? Were you using any of the above? No? I probably wouldn’t admit it either.

Related articles

• 25 Worst Passwords of 2011 [STUDY] (mashable.com)
• (telegraph.co.uk)