Password management site Dashlane has posted the results of its Worst Password Offenders list just in time for Christmas and cryptocurrency users don’t fare well, appearing third highest on the table.
Dashlane is a fairly strong position to make these judgments with its promise, “Discover how much better life is when you never forget another password”. The company publishes the annual rating in part to raise the public’s awareness of what constitutes good and bad passwording, with accesses to numerous users.
Quickly passing top runner Kanye West by, perhaps wondering why anyone would want his password, anyone involved in defending the United States would be a little concerned to see the Pentagon in second place on the list, followed by their employers at the White House, worryingly at number 6.
Those thinking that they were in safe hands with their private files in the possession of lawyers, forget it. UK law firms featured halfway down the list at number 5. Google, the UN, and prestigious UK university Cambridge all featured at the bottom of this top ten list with some of the worst password profiles according to Dashlane’s festive bout of finger-pointing.
Emmanuel Schalit, the company’s CEO, claims the average internet user has over 200 digital accounts with private passwords. What’s more, over a period of five years, this number may even double. So how does one look after 400 passwords apart from churning out the same one? An ill-advised move and recommended by virtually no one. She adds:
“Passwords are the first line of defense against cyber attacks. Weak passwords, reused passwords, and poor organizational password management can easily put sensitive information at risk.”
This is something known to all, nothing new here, so what is the solution? So just to recap, and hopefully the Pentagon staff are paying attention, as well as those White House employees, so they don’t make 2019’s list of worst password offenders. Here are the basics, again:
- Passwords should not contain names or proper nouns that might connect to the user, ie., “Smith63” for Fred Smith’s private account.
- Avoid weak number sequences also involving user details like date of birth, house address etc.
- Alphanumeric sequences work best, mix those numbers and letters.
- And for those 400 accounts… protect each one with a unique password (not helpful). There are numerous easy-to-use password managers, which help you to manage your multiple passwords securely.
…and here’s the honor roll for 2018’s worst password offenders:
Kanye West, the Pentagon, cryptocurrency owners, Nutella, UK law firms, Texas White House Staff, Google, UN, Cambridge University.
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