'123456' tops 'password' on list of worst

"Password" has been overtaken by "123456" as the most common and therefor worst password people use to protect their data, a U.S. security software firm says. SplashData, of Los Gatos, Calif., has released its annual list of the 25 most common passwords found on the Internet, with longtime list leader "password" giving way to two-time runner-up "123456. This year's list was influenced by the large number of passwords from Adobe users posted online following a well-publicized security breach, SplashData said in a release Tuesday. "Seeing passwords like 'adobe123' and 'photoshop' on this list offers a good reminder not to base your password on the name of the website or application you are accessing," SplashData head Morgan Slain said. Some other passwords on SplashData's list of weak and easily guessed passwords include "qwerty," "abc123," "111111," and "iloveyou." "As always, we hope that with more publicity about how risky it is to use weak passwords, more people will start taking simple steps to protect themselves by using stronger passwords and using different passwords for different websites," the company said in its release.