The word 'password' has topped SplashData's annual list of the 25 most common passwords — and a common password is, from a security perspective, a terrible password.
"Unless you're hoping to be an easy target for hackers, it's the worst password you can possibly choose," mashable.com said in
Right behind 'password' on the list are '123456' and '12345678.' The remainder of the list, which was assembled from lists of passwords stolen by hackers, is sprinkled with similarly straightforward strings of numbers, as well as common words, phrases and sports names.
SplashData advises consumers to choose longer passwords that combine letters, numbers and special characters. But in doing so, people have to get more creative than 'passw0rd,' spelled with a zero, which also made the list.