10 passwords you should avoid using
These are easy to guess
We use passwords every day for websites, emails, social media accounts, online banking, logging into our devices and so much more! However it may be that your account isn't as secure as you think. Here are 10 easy to guess passwords that you should avoid...
1. Numerical 123456 is one of the most popular passwords and any set of consecutive numbers should be avoided completely.
2. Password Sometimes it comes as standard and people forget to change it, or some people even choose this as it's easy to remember. However it's one of the first things hackers try so make sure you change it! Other variations including 'p@ssword’ and ‘passw0rd’ should also be avoided.
3. Sports names If it's obvious what team you support then you should avoid using this as a password. Don't combine it with your year of birth either as this is something that will be tried too!
4. QWERTY If you thought you were unique by using the first six letters of your keyboard then you'd be wrong.
5. Pets names This is extremely common so should definitely be avoided. And with all those cute pics of Fluffy that you've been sharing on social media it's not difficult for a stranger to find out.
6. Words related to the login process 'Login', 'letmein', 'welcome', 'admin', 'enter', 'access' and 'secret' are all to be avoided.
7. Consecutive letters and numbers You should look to combine numbers with letters for your password with the exception of consecutive letters and numbers such as ‘abcd123’ or ‘abc123’. Avoid ‘password1’ and ‘welcome1’ too!
8. Animal names Ok so we've said avoid pet names but also avoid actually naming animals. In this category ‘monkey’, ‘dolphin’ and ‘tiger’ are the most popular.
9. Dragon Ok so this isn't a real animal but hackers state this is one of the most popular passwords, so if you're a fan of the fictional firebreathers it's time to make a change to your password.
10. Family members Our nearest and dearest shouldn't feature in our passwords!
So what should you use for a password?
- Use a unique password for each of your important accounts. - Use a mix of letters, numbers and symbols. - The more random the better!