What's the passw0rd, sunshine? letmein

dragon, iloveyou, letmein. It’s as easy as 123456 to have your account hacked if your password is one of these most insecure passwords to use.

SplashData created a list of the worst 25 passwords for 2011 from millions of stolen passwords hackers posted online. SplashData sells security services and password services, and is offering these tips on how to create a safe password:

1.      Make it eight characters or more

2.      Use upper- and lower-case letters

3.      Include numbers and symbols

Another valuable tip is to create a unique password for every account.

SEE RELATED STORIES FROM THE WDM CONTENT NETWORK:

• US-based Lookout Mobile Security is expanding to Australia
• Apple iOS 5.0.1 update removes bugs and security flaws

Click here to read the latest issue of Business Review Australia

Think you can’t create a hacker-proof password? A variety of password generating tools are available to help create one for you, such as PCTools or Wolfram Alpha search engine. The idea of these tools is to create a truly random password, unlike using your favourite sport or your first name, Ashley and Michael.  

These can be more difficult to remember, but a password manager like KeePass can store all your passwords in an encrypted database. Now, you only have to remember one master password (no, master and password are not good options). KeePass is also cross-platform compatible offering convenient portability.

Several websites offer a rating scale when you create a password, including Microsoft. The HTTPS password tester online is a strength scale from red to green. LBW-Soft’s Password Review also provides an online service to break down where a password needs improvement.

Remember, trustno1 with your passw0rd, and don’t use any of the ones on this list, superman:

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