Passwords are an everyday part of our lives and are essential in protecting our most sensitive data; including our web data. But how secure is your password? At simplewebhosting.co.uk we regularly see examples of poor password choice and find it’s a constant battle to educate users in the importance of choosing a strong password.
Mark Burnett (xato.net) has used lists of leaked passwords to compile a master list of the 10,000 worst passwords; an astonishing 91% of all passwords used appear in the top 1000. Click on the wordcloud above – if you can see your password then you should change it now!
Here are some startling facts gleaned from Mark’s data:
- 4.7% of users have the password password;
- 8.5% have the passwords password or 123456;
- 9.8% have the passwords password, 123456 or 12345678;
- 14% have a password from the top 10 passwords
- 40% have a password from the top 100 passwords
- 79% have a password from the top 500 passwords
- 91% have a password from the top 1000 passwords
So is it time to change your password? The answer is almost certainly yes!
We’ve recently introduced stronger password strength requirements meaning that no longer will you be able to pick cPanel or mailbox passwords that are insecure. We know that this will be a nuisance to some customers but we believe it to be an essential nuisance.
