World's Most-Used Passwords Are Still Awful, According To 2015 Data

You already know this: passwords are the first line of defense against cyber criminals, who are only getting smarter and more devious with each passing day.

So why do people still insist on using easy-to-crack passwords? According to SplashData’s annual “2015 Worst Passwords” list, it seems some folks just never learn.

The list, which ranks the most commonly used passwords by Internet users, reveals just how terrible many people’s password choices are.

“‘123456’ and “password” once again reign supreme as the most commonly used passwords, as they have since SplashData’s first list in 2011, demonstrating how people’s choices for passwords remain consistently risky,” wrote the password management applications company on its website.

Other awful passwords in the top 25 include “qwerty,” “welcome,” “letmein” and “monkey;” “starwars,” “princess” and “solo” also made this year’s list:

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. passw0rd 
25. starwars

The list, compiled from more than 2 million leaked passwords last year, indicates that “many people continue to put themselves at risk for hacking and identity theft,” SplashData wrote.

The company said it hopes its list will be a wake-up call for people to start using more secure passwords.

“We hope that with more publicity about how risky it is to use weak passwords, more people will take steps to strengthen their passwords and, most importantly, use different passwords for different websites,” said SplashData CEO Morgan Slain in a statement.

Most experts agree that strong passwords are random (no obvious words and combinations); long (more than 12 characters); and use a mix of numbers, letters and symbols. Also be sure to change your passwords periodically.

Using random password generators and password managers can also be useful. Click here to find out more about creating better passwords.