SplashData's Worst Passwords of 2012 Released This Week - The UpStream

Every year, SplashData releases their list of the worst passwords of the year. These usually are the most commonly used and most ignorant words, phrases or numbers that one could think of. This year was no different, as we saw the list hit right before Halloween and it's definitely interesting to see some of the passwords - if you can call them that - move up and down the list from last year.

For 2012, may we all please give a warm welcome to the terms "welcome," "jesus," "ninja," "mustang," and "password1," as those are new passwords that have been coined as the worst this year.

Morgan Slain, SplashData's CEO says,

At this time of year, people enjoy focusing on scary costumes, movies and decorations, but those who have been through it can tell you how terrifying it is to have your identity stolen because of a hacked password. We're hoping that with more publicity about how risky it is to use weak passwords, more people will start taking simple steps to protect themselves by using stronger passwords and using different passwords for different websites.

With major breaches in big companies like Yahoo, LinkedIn and Blizzard, it is certainly a year to reflect and see if you're using any of these passwords. I would hope, as an informed reader of this publication, that none of you are using any of these, but perhaps your friends and family are. If that is the case, take away their computer until they change their passwords under your supervision.

Below is the list of the top 10 and you can check out the source link below to see the full list of twenty-five. Are you surprised by any of them? Do you think your grandparents could be guilty of using these? Share your stories in the comments below.