Let Me In

Software firm SplashData, in its fifth annual worst passwords list, reports that “123456” and “password” are the most common passwords used by people in North American and Western Europe.

Those two words, a trend of unoriginality and non-security, have topped the list every year. The report, compiled from more than 2 million leaked passwords, demonstrates “how people's choices for passwords remain consistently risky,” according to a SplashData statement.

Nine of the top 25 passwords on the worst list were there for the first time this year. Those include “welcome,” “1234567890” and the uber-original “login.” Others, such as “dragon,” “monkey” and “letmein,” fell out of the top 15 in popularity, but remained in the top 25. Three more debuts on the dishonorable list come from a certain Jedi-themed movie. Those words: “princess,” “solo” and “starwars.”

SplashData says it's simple to improve passwords — a theory many in IT would endorse. Tips include mixing letters and numbers, going longer than 12 characters, and switching passwords for different websites.