Need a little help brainstorming your next password? Here’s a hint – don’t use any of these in the list of top 25 worst passwords of 2011, as composed by SplashData. They compiled the list based on stolen passwords posted by hackers online. Some on the list are things you might expect – including popular names or favorite sports. But for all of those of you using “dragon” “monkey” or “iloveyou” as your password…well.
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 also offered these three tips for creating better 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.
