Community Corner

Beware of the Worst Passwords of 2011

Internet Crime Complaint Center shares list of 25 most popular passwords.

The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National White Collar Crime Center, is warning citizens to protect themselves online by choosing passwords carefully.

IC3 shared, in a news release, the 25 worst passwords of the year put out by SplashData, a provider of password management applications.

SplashData's top 25 worst passwords list was compiled from files containing millions of stolen passwords posted online by hackers, according to CEO Morgan Slain. He advised that if consumers or businesses are using any of the passwords in the list, their passwords should be changed immediately.

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Slain said using a weak password is like leaving the door open to identity thieves and hackers.

The 25 worst passwords are:

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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


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