{"id":46452,"date":"2012-10-25T15:48:54","date_gmt":"2012-10-25T13:48:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/?p=46452"},"modified":"2012-10-25T15:53:05","modified_gmt":"2012-10-25T13:53:05","slug":"worst-gaming-passwords-of-2012","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/business\/46452-worst-gaming-passwords-of-2012","title":{"rendered":"Worst gaming passwords of 2012"},"content":{"rendered":"

SplashData<\/a> has recently released its annual list of the most common passwords used on the Internet and posted by hackers, revealing that “password”, “123456” and “12345678” are the most common passwords in the world.<\/p>\n

SplashData\u2019s top passwords list was compiled from files containing millions of stolen passwords posted online by hackers.<\/p>\n

Online gaming accounts are often targeted by hackers who use such lists to gain access. This can be particularly heart-breaking for a gamer who loses hours of game progress and all their character inventory when a hacker gets in and steals everything.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a year with several high profile password hacking incidents at major sites including Yahoo<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a>, eHarmony<\/a>, and Last.fm<\/a>, SplashData’s list of frequently used passwords shows that many people continue to put themselves at risk by using weak, easily guessable passwords,\u201d the company said in a press statement.<\/p>\n

Here is SplashData\u2019s \u201cWorst Passwords of 2012\u201d list, including their current ranking and any changes from the 2011 list:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. password (Unchanged)<\/li>\n
  2. 123456 (Unchanged)<\/li>\n
  3. 12345678 (Unchanged)<\/li>\n
  4. abc123 (Up 1)<\/li>\n
  5. qwerty (Down 1)<\/li>\n
  6. monkey (Unchanged)<\/li>\n
  7. letmein (Up 1)<\/li>\n
  8. dragon (Up 2)<\/li>\n
  9. 111111 (Up 3)<\/li>\n
  10. baseball (Up 1)<\/li>\n
  11. iloveyou (Up 2)<\/li>\n
  12. trustno1 (Down 3)<\/li>\n
  13. 1234567 (Down 6)<\/li>\n
  14. sunshine (Up 1)<\/li>\n
  15. master (Down 1)<\/li>\n
  16. 123123 (Up 4)<\/li>\n
  17. welcome (New)<\/li>\n
  18. shadow (Up 1)<\/li>\n
  19. ashley (Down 3)<\/li>\n
  20. football (Up 5)<\/li>\n
  21. jesus (New)<\/li>\n
  22. michael (Up 2)<\/li>\n
  23. ninja (New)<\/li>\n
  24. mustang (New)<\/li>\n
  25. password1 (New)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    SplashData advises those using any of the passwords on the list to change them immediately.<\/p>\n

    \u201cEven though each year hacking tools get more sophisticated, thieves still tend to prefer easy targets,\u201d SplashData said. \u201cJust a little bit more effort in choosing better passwords will go a long way toward making you safer online.\u201d<\/p>\n

    SplashData suggests making passwords more secure with these tips:<\/p>\n