mrdigitech
New Member
A password is required from users who want to gain access to files, programs, and other resources, on a computer. It is created to protect users against of unauthorized use of their online accounts, computers, and gadgets. A major headache about creating passwords for each account is the ability to remember them, especially when you have dozens of online accounts scattered across the internet. Most people are usually tempted to use a given password for all accounts. This habit or strategy is precarious because a hacker can easily access all your accounts without any form of restriction once he gains access to your "master password."
SplashData, a world renowned company responsible for creating password management applications, recently released its annual list of 25 worst passwords. SplashData compiled its annual list based on the leaked passwords gotten from two continents, North America, and Europe. With that being said, according to SplashData, these are the top 25 most horrible passwords for 2015.
1.123456
2. password
3. 12345678
4. qwerty
5. 12345
6. 123456789
7. football
8. 1234
9. 1234567
10. baseball
11. welcome
12. 1234567890
13. abc123
14. 111111
15. 1qaz2wsx
16. dragon
17. master
18. monkey
19. letmein
20. login
21. princess
22. qwertyuiop
23. solo
24. password
25. starwars
I mean, looking at this list you find some shallow, absolutely ridiculous passwords such as "1234, 12345, 123456, welcome, Login, abc123, password and qwerty. These kinds of passwords make petty criminals look like professional hackers. In Nigeria, it might surprise you know that most of us use the names of our wives, children, pets, soap operas and things that make us happy, as passwords and that's why we hear many complaints about personal accounts being hacked and the likes. The funny thing about using names of loved ones is that subconsciously we tend to reveal these sensitive details to criminals, who might be have been studying us for a while.
How to create strong passwords and Make them Secure
Yes, we have probably heard about these a thousand times over, but then we keep making mistakes here and there. This situation is particularly problematic for people with multiple online accounts, who love what they do, but find password management herculean.
Use password managers
These programs, perhaps, offer the easiest password management solutions to people with multiple online accounts. A password manager lets you create multiple passwords for your various online accounts and remember them easily if need be. The irony of it all is that a Password Manager, its self, requires a very strong password, so if you make a silly mistake at this level, you could be worse off than you previously were. This is because your password manager is like a "gatekeeper," once breached; your total online security is compromised.
Password managers are excellent tools if well managed. However, they can wreck you if not handled with extreme care and caution. If you know you can't effectively create a strong, highly-secured password for your password manager, don't even start with it in the first place.
Other traditional methods
Yes, everything about password security still boils down to the old, boring basics. Not everyone might fancy using password managers for their online password management. But then, if you must create your own strong, secure passwords, you should, at least, stick to the fundamental guidelines.
I. Your passwords must include a mix of Capital Letters, Symbols, Lowercase Letters, and Numbers:
Granted, I know it’s difficult to create and remember passwords with a combination of the formats given above. But then, this is your online security we are talking about and any password devoid of combinations given above isn't secure and would one day be breached.
II. Your password must be at least 12 characters in length
There are no hard and fast rules about the minimum number of characters in a given password format. However, global minimum standards suggest 12, but then you can decide to go way past the globally accepted minimum benchmark. Just know that the longer a password is, the more secure it is. However, there is a caveat here; it mustn't share any characteristic or semblance with the top 25 worst passwords earlier mentioned.
III. It mustn’t be dictionary word or a combination of it
The dictionary word strategy is, by far, one of the easiest to implement. But then, someone monitoring your keyboard as you type can easily decipher the words being used as passwords by observing the letters being typed on your keyboard. Some crooks are good at this.
In conclusion, these are some the worst passwords to avoid, as well as the strategies for creating highly secure passwords. Effective password management is a difficult thing to implement these days, due to increasing adoption of the internet as the prescribed standard for business and communication. However, there are still secure passwords you can, at least, use to protect our online accounts and privacy, but then there is a limit to what we can hold and manage upstairs. Nevertheless, there will be a time in future when we can’t create and manage passwords without employing the use of password managers. I mean, it will get that complicated at some point in time.
Photo Credit: theonlinemom.com, arstechnica.com