Data protection firm Imperva analyzed the hacked password details from website RockYou.com, and they have released the results of their information. As it turns out, most people get hacked because they use the most brain-dead simple combinations possible for their passwords. I mean, just take a look at the 10 most-hacked passwords.
To steal a snippet from the brilliant Mel Brooks movie Spaceballs:
[King Roland has given in to Dark Helmet's threats, and is telling him the combination to the "air shield"]
Roland: One.
Dark Helmet: One.
Colonel Sandurz: One.
Roland: Two.
Dark Helmet: Two.
Colonel Sandurz: Two.
Roland: Three.
Dark Helmet: Three.
Colonel Sandurz: Three.
Roland: Four.
Dark Helmet: Four.
Colonel Sandurz: Four.
Roland: Five.
Dark Helmet: Five.
Colonel Sandurz: Five.
Dark Helmet: So the combination is… one, two, three, four, five? That’s the stupidest combination I’ve ever heard in my life! The kind of thing an idiot would have on his luggage!
Also stupid are passwords like “password” and “princess.” Definitely don’t use “qwerty,” either. To be safe, you need to have a password 8 letters or longer in length (rather than 6), use a random combination of letters and numbers (rather than a single dictionary word and a date), and use special characters when possible. Odds are you know all that, and still refuse not to do it.
Technorati Tags: computer security, hackers, Imperva, password tips, passwords, secure passwords, securing email, security tips, SpaceballsAdd to:
My password is 12 characters long. But I tend to type it accidentally to my friends in IM, when I attempt to multi-task, so I have to change it often.
I beat the odds!
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