According to this report, the world’s most used passwords from 2015 were “123456” followed closely by “password” itself. And to make matters worse, out of the Top 25 over a third (40%) were lazy combinations of those first two passwords.

Also on the list were shockers such as “solo”, “starwars” and even “princess” more than likely referring to the latest Star Wars movie that has been top of mind for many.

Perennial favorites like “qwerty” and “1qaz2wsx” also appear on the list, as people continue to think that using a pattern on their keyboard will thwart the cybercriminals – who, by the way, have known about that technique for years!

Okay yes, I’ll put my hand up, I’ve been guilty of using one of these passwords myself – have you? But the important question is why we do it.

Having to think of a new and unique password these days is annoying and frustrating, especially when we’re all being told to create different passwords for every online account we have.  For some of us, that’s hundreds of accounts!

So what is the solution?  Here are some password tips.

1. Watch this video on why you should never use the same password twice – and understand how you can “separate” a common password for use across multiple sites in a reasonably secure way.
2. When thinking up a new password, learn about the four common mistakes that people make with passwords, as I explain in this video.
3. Where available, especially for important accounts like Email, Banking and Facebook, consider activating “2-Factor” or “2-Step” authentication where you can – it’s no excuse for creating a lazy password, but it does add another layer of security.

Until next time, stay safe out there.