Popular passwords revealed

12:16 28 November 2011

How safe are you when it comes to internet security? If you're yet to tighten up your browsing habits, you might be in for a shock, as Splashdata reveal their list of the 25 most-common passwords.

'Password' is right at the top of the list, with other common codes including number and letter patterns like '123456', '111111', 'abc1234' and 'qwerty'.

Some other entrants are a little more abstract, with 'monkey' and 'shadow' appearing alongside names including 'ashley' and 'michael'.

'Superman', 'trustno1' and 'football' also make appearances on the list, which was compiled from files containing millions of stolen passwords posted online by hackers.

But don't despair if yours is among the Top 25, as we've got some hints and tips on how to choose a great new password that's a lot more secure:

1. Change your password every 60 days. Adding a number at the end that you change each time works well and makes it easy to remember
2. Never write your password down
3. Don't use words or a phrase that has any personal significance
4. Use a random mix of letters, numbers and symbols if possible
5. When registering on a site that asks for your email address, never use the same password as your email account
6. Try to use multiple passwords where possible
7. If you do want to have a word that has a personal significance, replace some letters with numbers, for example home would become h0m3