The number sequence ‘123456’ has turned out be the worst password that has been used by internet users last year, a new report revealed.
According to password management app maker SplashData’s latest report ‘password’ had come down from top position in the rankings for the first time since the annual list started to be compiled.
The changeover is mainly due to the security breach issue at Adobe in October 2013, effecting tens of millions of users.
SplashData CEO Morgan Slain said that seeing passwords like ‘adobe123’ and ‘photoshop’ on this list offers a good reminder not to base your password on the name of the website or application you are accessing.
"Another interesting aspect of this year’s list is that more short numerical passwords showed up even though websites are starting to enforce stronger password policies," Slain said.
"For example, new to this year’s list are simple and easily guessable passwords like "1234" at #16, "12345" at #20, and "000000" at #25."
The report also warned that several individuals risk themselves by using weak, easily guessable passwords.
"As always, we hope that with more publicity about how risky it is to use weak passwords, more people will start taking simple steps to protect themselves by using stronger passwords and using different passwords for different websites," Slain added.
