Worst Passwords of 2017

January 10, 2018

The 25 worst passwords of 2017 -- does yours appear on the list?

SplashData, a password management provider, just released its annual list of "Worst Passwords of the Year" using data from 5 million leaked passwords from users in North America and Western Europe.

Despite many well-publicized major data leaks in 2016 and 2017, many people continue to use weak passwords that are easily guessed. "123456" and "Password," for example, were the two most popular passwords SplashData came across, as they have been for several years running.

With data breaches from major companies so common, a strong password is essential, and it's also important not to use the same password for more than one account. A password manager can generate and store your passwords: https://its.ucsc.edu/security/lockdown.html#pass

Use two-factor authentication as an extra layer of security. Don't let the fancy name throw you. It just means that to log into your account you need two ways to prove you are who you say you are. It’s like the bank or an employer asking for two forms of ID. https://its.ucsc.edu/security/lockdown.html#auth

Test password strength (note: do not enter your actual passwords) https://password.kaspersky.com/

Here's the top 25 worst passwords of 2017:

123456

Password

12345678

qwerty

12345

123456789

letmein

1234567

football

iloveyou

admin

welcome

monkey

login

abc123

starwars

123123

dragon

passw0rd

maste

hello

freedom

whatever

qazwsx

trustno1