Are you a person who uses the internet or any form of transaction that requires a password entry? Chances are you know how stressful it is to come with a strong password and make sure to be able to remember it when needed.
However, despite the grave importance of having a strong password to avoid cyber-attacks from hackers, we as humans can get tired of creating a password that would give not only the hackers a migraine to figure it out, but also ourselves from remembering it. Yes, writing it down on a piece of paper and keeping it away from the public eye or writing it on the memo of your smartphone can be helpful, but sometimes certain unprecedented events would just happen and you will be left there with nothing but your all-too-reliable memory to rely on and go through the irritating "recovery password" process.
I got carried away there for a moment from my personal experience. Now, let's see if you and I share some of the worst passwords of 2016:
1. 123456
2. 123456789
3. qwerty
4. 12345678
5. 111111
6. 1234567890
7. 1234567
8. password
9. 123123
10. 987654321
11. qwertyuiop
12. mynoob
13. 123321
14. 666666
15. 18atcskd2w
16. 7777777
17. 1q2w3e4r
18. 654321
19. 555555
20. 3rjs1la7qe
21. google
22. 1q2w3e4r5t
23. 123qwe
24. zxcvbnm
25. 1q2w3e
So, how many did you find that was the same or similar to the passwords you use? To be honest, I did not expect "mynoob" and "18atcskd2w" to be on the list. It just never crossed my mind. And if you ask me about the "mynoob" password, it's probably a gamer who likes to use colorful language on online games - just a hunch.
What Are the Best Practices In Creating Secure Passwords?
Now that you've seen the list of the top 25 worst passwords of 2016 and probably had a few there similar to yours, what now? Well, a cyber-security firm called Sophos has given some amazing tips as to how and what not to do in creating passwords that can be used in any online account that requires a password
What To Do
The first tip is to use a phrase and make it relevant. For example, "knot my pencil." With this simple phrase you can write it off as "Kn0tmyP3n$il."
Second, is to make it something that you can visualize. And according to Sophos, this makes it easy to remember.
Third, is to have a password that bears more than 10 characters which include capitals, numbers and symbols. This is good because back in the early days of the online accounts, symbols were a big no-no in creating passwords. Nowadays, it is encouraged by some websites such as Skype.
The fourth tip is to make it more personal. This is the example that Sophos given: "mY5orit3$hirt'sR3d" (my favorite shirt is red).
What Not To Do
The first red flag is using names. Yes, names of pets, businesses, family, friends, and etc. are a no-go for creating passwords.
Next is the use of letter or number patterns. Yes, having numbers in your password is great, but writing them in a pattern like 12345 or abcde is not ideal.
Third red flag is using birthdays, addresses, and postal or zip codes. Even if you include extra numbers, it's not a secure way in creating a password.
Moreover, s having a password in less than 10 letters is just not good enough even though it consists of capitals, numbers and symbols.
The fifth and final red flag is storing them locally or on the internet. Now, personally, I don't know how to agree with this because I had a bad experience in where to store my passwords. There are many factors to consider with this final tip.
