Hackers - RodneyOlsen.net

Stop Helping Hackers

December 20, 2017

Christmas is just days away and no doubt there’ll be many people receiving gifts of technology which will require passwords. So how do you ensure that those shiny new devices don’t make you a target for hackers?

Internet security firm SplashData has released their annual guide to helping, or hindering, hackers. They’ve been taking a look at the worst passwords used online in 2017 and have come up with their list of the top 100 worst passwords. The thing that makes them the worst is that they’re the most common, meaning that those with less than honourable intention will be using them to try to break your security.

If you see your password among the top twenty-five below, your data is in serious danger. It’s time to change your passwords or get ready to get hacked.

123456

Password

12345678

qwerty

12345

123456789

letmein

1234567

football

iloveyou

admin

welcome

monkey

login

abc123

starwars

123123

dragon

passw0rd

maste

hello

freedom

whatever

qazwsx

trustno1

As in previous lists, simple numerical passwords remain popular, with five of the top 10 passwords on the 2017 list using only numbers. Then there are all the usual favourites such as ‘password’, ‘starwars’ and for those trying to be a little tricky, but failing, ‘passw0rd’.

If you want to create stronger and less hacker-friendly passwords you should be using at least 12 characters with a combination of upper and lowercase letters and characters. You should also ensure that you use different passwords for different websites.

If you’re looking for a better solution you might like to try a password manager application.

I’ve been using LastPass for many years. It’s a password manager which makes web browsing more secure. It will keep all your passwords secure and help you generate strong passwords.

Nothing can really guarantee you won’t get hacked, especially if one of the services you use is hacked, exposing even the best passwords, but it’s worth putting a bit of effort into keeping your data secure.

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How to Help a Hacker

January 21, 2016

by Rodney Olsen

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WorstPasswords

Internet security firm SplashData has released their annual guide to helping, or hindering, hackers. They’ve been taking a look at the worst passwords used online last year and have come up with their list of the top 25 worst passwords.

If you see your password among the top twenty five in the picture below, you’re data is in serious danger. It’s time to change your passwords or get ready to get hacked.

As in previous lists, simple numerical passwords remain popular, with six of the top 10 passwords on the 2015 list using only numbers.

With a new Star Wars movie being released last year, many have decided to jump on board and created galactic passwords. Popular Star Wars terms such as “starwars,” “solo,” and “princess” are new entries on this year’s worst passwords list.

SplashData has announced the 2015 edition of its annual “Worst Passwords List” highlighting the insecure password habits of Internet users. “123456” and “password” once again reign supreme as the most commonly used passwords, as they have since SplashData’s first list in 2011, demonstrating how people’s choices for passwords remain consistently risky.

In SplashData’s fifth annual report, compiled from more than 2 million leaked passwords during the year, some new and longer passwords made their debut – perhaps showing an effort by both websites and web users to be more secure. However, the longer passwords are so simple as to make their extra length virtually worthless as a security measure.

You can click on the image below for a better look.

If you’re looking for a better solution you might like to try a password manager application.

SplashData has a secure password manager which, as they say, offers solutions for people and organizations who care about keeping passwords and other information both secure and accessible.

I’ve been using LastPass for a while. It’s another password manager which makes web browsing more secure.

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25 Passwords that Hackers Love

January 21, 2014

by Rodney Olsen

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WorstPasswords-2013

Internet security firm SplashData has been at it again. They’ve been taking a look at the worst passwords used online last year and there have been a few changes since their 2012 list.

The big news is that for the first time since they started compiling the list, ‘password’ hasn’t come in at number one. It slipped into second place with ‘123456’ rising to the top position.

If you see your password among the top ten in the picture above, you’re data is in serious danger. In fact, you should take the time to check out SplashData’s full list for 2013. If anything there is familiar, it’s time to change your passwords or get ready to get hacked.

SplashData’s list of frequently used passwords shows that many people continue to put themselves at risk by using weak, easily guessable passwords. Some other passwords in the Top Ten include “qwerty,” “abc123,” “111111,” and “iloveyou.”

“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,” Slain said. For example, new to this year’s list are simple and easily guessable passwords like “1234” at #16, “12345” at #20, and “000000” at #25.

The good news is that SplashData has advice that could help you build stronger passwords.

Use passwords of eight characters or more with mixed types of characters. But even passwords with common substitutions like “dr4mat1c” can be vulnerable to attackers’ increasingly sophisticated technology, and random combinations like “j%7K&yPx$” can be difficult to remember. One way to create more secure passwords that are easy to recall is to use passphrases — short words with spaces or other characters separating them. It’s best to use random words rather than common phrases. For example, “cakes years birthday” or “smiles_light_skip?”

Avoid using the same username/password combination for multiple websites. Especially risky is using the same password for entertainment sites that you do for online email, social networking, or financial service sites. Use different passwords for each new website or service you sign up for.

If you’re looking for a better solution you might like to try a password manager application.

SplashData has SplashID Safe which, as they say, offers solutions for people and organizations who care about keeping passwords and other information both secure and accessible.

I’ve been using LastPass for a while. It’s another password manager which makes web browsing more secure.

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Twitter Hacked

February 2, 2013

by Rodney Olsen

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The big news today for Twitter users is that there has been a major hacking attempt that may have seen around a quarter of a million accounts exposed.

This week, we detected unusual access patterns that led to us identifying unauthorized access attempts to Twitter user data. We discovered one live attack and were able to shut it down in process moments later. However, our investigation has thus far indicated that the attackers may have had access to limited user information – usernames, email addresses, session tokens and encrypted/salted versions of passwords – for approximately 250,000 users. – Twitter Blog

Twitter realised that the hack would take more than 140 characters to explain, so they took to their blog to let us know that we needed to change passwords. I use the word ‘we’ because I was one of those 250 000 people that had their accounts compromised.

I must admit that when I got the email I was a little hesitant to follow the link they supplied to reset my password. Similar emails have been the way phishing scams have worked for years. This one looked real but just in case I tried to access Twitter only to find that I couldn’t log in. I then used the ‘Lost Password’ feature in Twitter to do my reset instead of following the link, just in case.

I’ll admit that I was pretty pleased with the way that Twitter moved swiftly to ensure the safety of their users. As well as dealing with the direct threat, they’ve given some helpful keys to ensuring safety online. Whether you’re using Twitter, Facebook or any other kind of online service, their advice is work checking out.

Though only a very small percentage of our users were potentially affected by this attack, we encourage all users to take this opportunity to ensure that they are following good password hygiene, on Twitter and elsewhere on the Internet. Make sure you use a strong password – at least 10 (but more is better) characters and a mixture of upper- and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols – that you are not using for any other accounts or sites. Using the same password for multiple online accounts significantly increases your odds of being compromised. If you are not using good password hygiene, take a moment now to change your Twitter passwords. For more information about making your Twitter and other Internet accounts more secure, read our Help Center documentation or the FTC’s guide on passwords. – Twitter Blog

If you’re looking for a great way to create and manage secure passwords, I’d advise you to check out LastPass. I’ve found using LastPass to be easy, safe and helpful.

The LastPass team believes your online experience can be easier, faster and safer. Collectively we lose more than 10,300 hours per year retrieving lost passwords, making new ones or talking to call center representatives about them. And it gets much worse if a password is stolen and misused. We go online to connect with people, explore, shop and learn. We certainly don’t go online to fuss with passwords or risk our privacy, personal or financial information. Designed by web enthusiasts and skilled application developers, LastPass was created to make the online experience easier and safer for everyone.

By the way, if you’re not already following me on Twitter, you’ll find me here.

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25 Passwords to Make Hackers Smile

October 26, 2012

by Rodney Olsen

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‘Jesus’ is unlikely to protect your computer. Neither is ‘mustang’ or ‘ninja’. They’re just three of the new passwords to make the top 25 most commonly used passwords this year.

As well as a few new passwords added to the list, most of the old favourites are still there including ‘password’, ‘123456’, ‘qwerty’, iloveyou’ and ‘abc123’. The one I find interesting is ‘trustno1’ which came in at number 12. Obviously they trust hackers if they’re prepared to use such an easy password.If you’re using any of those passwords, get ready to get hacked. You’re making it way to easy for others to compromise your data.

Security software developer Splashdata has released its annual list of the worst — and most common — passwords used on the web in 2012. Worryingly, very little has changed from 2011, where “password”, “123456” and “12345678” are still in the top spots — although Trustwave placed “Password1” in the top three slots last year, whereas it’s a new addition in Splashdata’s version.

In addition, several new arrivals in the top 25 awful passwords are “jesus”, “welcome”, “mustang”, and sadly “ninja”. – ZDNet

You can see the full list of 25 at ZDNet.

If you’re looking for a better solution you might like to try LastPass. It’s a password manager which makes web browsing more secure. I started using it recently and it’s a very handy tool.

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