Several high profile databases containing passwords were breached in 2012. Over six million passwords were reportedly stolen from LinkIn and subsequently posted on a Russian hacker forum. Dating site eHarmony confirmed that millions of its users’ passwords were compromised.
We have so many passwords these days that it’s hard to remember them all. As a result, many people use the same password for multiple systems, which compounds their exposure if one is breached. Some also make the mistake of using passwords that a skilled hacker could easily guess.
SplashData, a provider of password management applications, published a list of the 25 most common passwords used in 2012 and posted online by hackers. Number one in 2012 and 2011 was — “password”. The next two on the list were also unchanged — “123456” and the even more difficult to crack “12345678”.
Other repeats included “abc123”, “baseball”, and the ever popular “qwerty”. New entries included “ninja” and “Jesus”.
SplashData says that people who use passwords on the list are the most likely to be victims of future data breaches. Their CEO said, “Even though each year hacking tools get more sophisticated, thieves still prefer easy targets. Just a little bit more effort in choosing better passwords will go a long way toward making you safer online.”
The company recommends using passwords of at least eight characters. The FTC suggests using at least 10 and says 12 is ideal for most home users. Mix letters, numbers, and special characters. Don’t be predictable by using your name, your birth date, or common words.
Don’t use the same password for multiple websites or applications. SplashData says it’s especially risky to use the same password for entertainment sites that you use for online email, social networking, and financial services.
SplashData offers a suggestion for creating longer and more secure passwords that are easy to remember. Use short words with spaces or other characters separating them — for example, “eat cake at 8!” or “car_park_city?”
I came across two musically inclined suggestions for creating secure passwords. One writer recommends picking a song and creating a password using the first letter of each word.
Another of SplashData’s suggestions is to simply use a line of your favorite song and add a number to the end of it. Its example is “withnodirectionhome1085” — a famous Bob Dylan lyric followed by your birth date (October 1985 in this case). The resulting 23 character password would be easier to remember and harder to crack than a random combination of 8-12 letters and numbers.
Using song lyrics sounds like a fun and effective way to protect your passwords. You just have to remember that Frank Sinatra gets you into eHarmony to find dates and Johnny Cash gives you online access to your bank account to pay for them.
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