SplashData’s Worst Passwords 2015 list has been released, showing
how many users are putting themselves at risk.

The fifth edition of the annual list reveals the most popular passwords found in data leaks during the year, according to SplashData:

  1. 123456
  2. password
  3. 12345678
  4. qwerty
  5. 12345
  6. 123456789
  7. football
  8. 1234
  9. 1234567
  10. baseball
  11. welcome
  12. 1234567890
  13. abc123
  14. 111111
  15. 1qaz2wsx
  16. dragon
  17. master
  18. monkey
  19. letmein
  20. login
  21. princess
  22. qwertyuiop
  23. solo
  24. passw0rd
  25. starwars

SplashData offers three golden rules for effective password management:

  1. Use passwords or catchphrases of 12 mixed characters or more. I like to use the first letters of a song title, with numbers and uppercase added in places that are memorable.
  2. Don’t use the same password for different websites or log-ins to accounts.
  3. Use a password manager to organize and protect passwords.

SplashData's Worst Passwords 2015

The password manager I favor is Dashlane. Yes, it keeps track of your passwords, automatically logs you in to any website on any of your devices (desktop, laptop, tablet, smartphone on any platform), and never loses passwords. In fact, with your permission, Dashlane can burrow into your browsers and mine them for user names and passwords you might have forgotten.

Remember one master password and Dashlane keeps track of the others. Dashlane is free for most functions, but a premium level of service is also available.

Some other reasons why I like Dashlane in the crowded field of password management apps:

  • Dashlane notifies you when a Web site has been compromised.
  • Dashlane also can share passwords with other designated users by sending an encrypted email with a three-hour time limit to respond. My husband and I can now share information when we update user names or passwords without writing down the information or sending it in an insecure way.
  • The secure password generator creates strong passwords that adhere to the rules that seem to vary on virtually every site – a real boon if you are in an environment that has strict requirements and/or forces you to change passwords frequently without reusing previous ones.
  • Best of all is the Dashlane Security Dashboard, which generates a score indicating how safe you are online. The score is calculated based on passwords that are weak, used across multiple sites, or are from a site that’s been hacked.

If you see one of your passwords on SplashData’s Worst Passwords 2015, it’s time for a change.