EXPERTS have issued a stark warning against easily guessable passwords used by too many people online.
Effective passwords that stop hackers from raiding people’s accounts has never been more critical.
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More than 100,000 breached passwords were analysed to figure out what the most popular are.
That’s aside from the usual no-go, ‘qwerty’ and ‘123456’.
It turns out the biggest offender is pet names or terms of endearment, with over 4,000 using them.
This could be particularly risky for owners who love to share photos of their dogs and cats on social media, making it easy for hackers to guess.
The top three pet names used in passwords around the world were ‘Love’, ‘Baby’ and ‘Angel’.
“While you might often use pet names to refer to your closest and dearest, it’s probably not the best idea to use these popular words of endearment for your passwords,” study author Dojo said.
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“It makes it easy for hackers to guess and access your personal information.”
General names are followed closely behind at just over 3,900, as well as animals at 2,100.
Apparently passwords containing the names ‘Sam’, ‘Anna’ and ‘Alex’ are among the most popular to be hacked.
Emotions and food also made it into the top five overall.
Meanwhile further down the list at 12 is brands, with the likes of Apple, LinkedIn and Google used all too often.
The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) recommends that users make a password containing three random words, rather than something overly complicated.
This is because the length and novelty make it much harder for hackers to crack.
It’s also advised to use a password manager, while iPhone users can take advantage of iCloud Keychain.
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In other news, the naughtiest emoji combinations have been revealed.
Tinder has revived the classic ‘blind date’ experience with a virtual twist.
And TikTok has announced new rules, banning users who deadname or misgender others.
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
