Skip to main content

‘123456’ assumes the ‘worst password of 2013’ throne

pilot testing drivers licenses internet rolls two us states password

When will people learn? Between the Target and Adobe hacks, the tales of the renegade, chattering smart home appliances, and plain ol’ malware and viruses, you’d think people would smarten up and at least pick a password that couldn’t be cracked by a relatively disciplined and patient chimp.

 But noooooooo, people gotta fail and be all lazy. Case in point: SplashData, a firm that makes programs that manage passwords and more, revealed via an official blog post that ‘123456’ was the worst password of 2013, unseating ‘password’ from its throne and seizing its crown outright. The two traded places between 2013 and 2012, when ‘password’ held the top spot and ‘123456’ was the runner up.

Honorable..actually, dishonorable mentions include ‘12345678,’ which maintains its hold on third place. The equally unimaginative ‘qwerty’ took fourth after finishing fifth the previous year, with ‘abc123’ rounding out the top five, proving that people either still listen to that Jackson 5 song, or that they’re extremely lazy and careless. Or both.

In light of the Adobe hack which occurred late last year, here’s what SplashData CEO Morgan Slain had to say about these pathetic excuses for passwords.

“Seeing passwords like ‘adobe123’ and ‘photoshop’ on this list offers a good reminder not to base your password on the name of the website or application you are accessing.” 

Yeah, no kidding. But guess what? There are indications that people are getting even more lazy when it comes to choosing passwords. On this, Slain said: “Another interesting aspect of this year’s list is that more short numerical passwords showed up even though websites are starting to enforce stronger password policies.” Some newcomers to the list that SplashData compiled on 2013 passwords include “1234”, “12345”, and “000000”. 

As more and more people do their banking, bill paying and buying online, it seems as if this problem will only get worse and worse.

What do you think? Sound off in the comments below.

Editors' Recommendations

Konrad Krawczyk
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Konrad covers desktops, laptops, tablets, sports tech and subjects in between for Digital Trends. Prior to joining DT, he…
How to password protect a folder in Windows and macOS
A lock surrounded by keys.

Your computer probably has at least one or two files with sensitive information that you don’t want anyone getting their hands on. Maybe it’s a private work document or a digital file with all your passwords on it. Either way, you always want to take extra steps to ensure that your most crucial information is as safe as possible. Systems like Windows or macOS will let you password protect a folder so that anybody who uses your laptop can’t just sneak a peek at those sensitive files.

If you ever need help remembering passwords, consider these picks on our list of the best password managers.

Read more
NordPass adds passkey support to banish your weak passwords
password manager lifestyle image

Weak passwords can put your online accounts at risk, but password manager NordPass thinks it has the solution. The app has just added support for passkeys, giving you a far more secure way to keep all your important logins safe and sound.

Instead of a vulnerable password, passkeys work by using your biometric data as your login ‘fingerprint.’ For example, you could use the Touch ID button on a Mac or a facial recognition scanner on your smartphone to log in to your account. No typing required.

Read more
Ranking all 12 versions of Windows, from worst to best
Windows 7 desktop.

You can tell a person's age by which version of Windows is their favorite. I have fond memories of XP and Windows 98 SE, so you can take a guess at mine, but I have colleagues who are much more enamored with Windows 7, or Windows 95. We all have something disparaging to say about Windows 8 though, and the less said about Windows Vista the better.

Ranking the different versions of Windows is about more than what era of computing you grew up in, though. There are some very serious duds in Microsoft's back catalog, just as there are a few wins too. But whether you can look back on some of Microsoft's disastrous releases with rose-tinted glasses, or have some genuine love for Microsoft's missteps, here's every version of Windows ranked from best to worst.
12. Windows ME

Read more