Security experts have analyzed a database of 800 million compromised passwords — here’s what you need to know and do.
to steal the things. This latest analysis of a database of no less than 800 million compromised credentials reveals just how much of a problem passwords really are. Here’s what you need to know and do.
When it was reported that Gmail passwords were amongst a batch of 183 million compromised passwords analyzed by the celebrated breached password hunter, Troy Hunt, after adding them to the Have I Been Pwned service database, thefor all the wrong reasons. Despite many media publications grabbing the wrong end of that story stick and running with it as fast as they could, the fact thatmake their way into databases on the dark web, for criminal usage, and the surface web for positive protective reasons, remains something to be concerned about.We analyzed 800 million compromised passwords and found the numbers tell a clear story,” Marcus White, a SpecOps cybersecurity specialist covering authentication, identity and access management, said, “hundreds of thousands of end users have picked memorable, festive passwords that ended up on breached lists.” Ho, ho, oh.Although the presence of around 750,000 seasonal-themed passwords within a database of 800 million of the darned things may not seem overly significant, you need to back up and consider the holiday season is fast approaching. “The data confirms what IT teams already suspect,” White confirmed, “users gravitate toward memorable passwords, and nothing is more memorable than the holidays.” And that, dear non-passkey-using reader, makes for a wonderful world of opportunity as far as cyber attackers are concerned. As White quite rightly pointed out, such seasonal passwords must have been created around this time last year, or even earlier, meaning that anyone using them again in 21025 is likely “creating a password that’s already being used in credential stuffing attacks.” So, what are the most common seasonal passwords that SpecOps unearthed, so you can make doubly sure you are not using any of them? Buckle up, here come the top ten by order of usage volume:Check out the previously linked report for the top 20 seasonal passwords, and in the meantime, make sure you use only unique, random passwords for all your accounts. Better still, use a passkey why don’t you?
Compromised Password Stolen Passwords Password Breach 800 Million Passwords Seasonal Password Holiday Security Specops Password Hacking
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