Research suggests some passwords attract more hackers
The Star Tribune recently highlighted the importance of passwords and noted that some phrases are more vulnerable than others.
The news source cited a November study conducted by an online security vendor that said the most popular password is "password," followed by "123456." One reason behind this lackadaisical use of such phrases is that many people feel uncomfortable managing an average of 25 passwords, according to a separate Microsoft study.
According to the Tribune, a security firm demonstrated last year that it could breach 200,000 passwords in less than an hour.
"Easy ones like '12345678' take seconds to crack, but the firm said that an eight-character password with uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, spaces and symbols can send hackers packing in search of easier targets," said the Star Tribune report.
Since passwords are such an important defense mechanism for consumers and companies alike, there are several ways to protect against security breaches. A Signal News report by Chilton Tippin suggested that a tiered phrasing system, which includes symbols, numbers and capital letters, as well as using a password manager software system, is best.
