UPDATE: This sweepstakes is now closed. The winner will be contacted and then announced via our Facebook page.
Imagine this: You have one key for every lock.
So this one key opens your front door, your back door, your car door, your storage locker, your safe deposit box… Sounds convenient, doesn’t it? Imagine how much time would save not having to fuss around for the right key when you’re coming home late in the dark.
But what if a thief got a hold of that one precious key? Everything you own would be at risk, which is why no one uses the 1-key solution for home security.
However, 1 out of 5 Internet users in Germany, Sweden and the UK use the same password for every online account from e-mail to credit cards to online banking. It’s convenient but it’s not smart
People do things online that they’d never do in the real world. A strong, unique password for every important account is crucial for your Internet security. That’s why we recommend this simple system to create and remember strong passwords.
That leads us to the question for this week’s giveaway: What is the worst password you have ever used?
Post your answer in the comments of this post for your chance to win an iPod touch 8 GB. Make sure you read the rules to this giveaway and please be sure not to post a password you’re still using.
You can subscribe to our RSS feed to be reminded of next week’s giveaway.
Good luck,
Sandra
F-Secure Internet Security 2011
GET REAL SWEEPSTAKES WEEK #2- COMPETITION RULES AND PRIZES
By entering the Get Real promotion you accept the Official Competition Rules and the Privacy Policy (http://www.f-secure.com/en_US/privacy.html).
If you do not accept these rules, please do not enter this promotion.
1. The sponsor of this promotion is F-Secure Corporation, located at Tammasaarenkatu 7, Po. Box 24, 00181 Helsinki, Finland (“Sponsor”).
2. The promotion will begin at 6:00 PM PDT on September 26, 2010 and end at 6:00 PM PDT October 3, 2010.
3. This promotion is void where prohibited or restricted by law. No purchase is necessary to enter.
4. 3 prizes a iPod touch 8GB with a retail value of $229.99 and 2 F-Secure Internet Security licenses with a retail value of $119.98 will be given as prizes in this promotion at the close of the competition.
5. Only one (1) entry, per person per Sweepstakes will be accepted. Further attempts made by the same person and entries generated by a script, computer programs, macro, programmed, robotic or other automated means will be disqualified.
6. The winner will be chosen randomly from the people who participated in the competition by commenting on the “Get Real Sweepstakes Week #2 “. Sponsor will notify the winner via email. If the winner does not respond within seven (7) days, he or she will forfeit the prize and another winner will be randomly chosen. This prize is shipped to the winner within 30 days of the promotion closing date.
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9. No purchase or software download is necessary to enter or win. Purchase or software download will not increase your chances of winning.
10. To enter, visit http://safeandsavvy.f-secure.com/2010/09/24/get-real-sweepstakes-week-2/ and comment on the post. To comment you must provide your email address, which will not be made public. Entries are the property of Sponsor and will not be acknowledged or returned. Comments made be edited by F-Secure without explanation.
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184 Comments
Worst password I ever used I think was Bill
I think the worst one I’ve ever used is “password” – it was given to me by our IT department to use some company software. LOL
My worst one would be the same as username
Probably the worst was my birth date in day month year form just to make it extra easy. LOL I have wised up a lot since then.
I have used the typical “123456″ in the past and stopped using it for obvious reasons.
‘password’ is by far the worst password i’ve ever used.
I guess ‘nana’ was the worst lol
My first name.
I used my name
For years I used “crap” as a universal password.
the worst password i used are
lol now it sounds funny
“123456″
“password”
my own name for my pc “shyam”
same username as password in gmail
“password123″ if the site asks both numeric & alphabetical password..!!
Worst password? Not using one!
Got my buddies stumped before cause they knew I always password protect my stuff!
nimda
admin
abc123
I used 6 numbers once. Took about 2 weeks for a scrip-kiddy to hack my Yahoo! account. Lucky I didn’t have any sensitive info there, or that the hacker was more malicious!
Worst password ever used is … “password” :p
abc123
the worst i’ve ever used has got to be my first name. in my defence,it was my uncle who set the password, but should’ve changed it sooner.
funny thing about it is, no one could figure it out.guess it was TOO easy for many people(at the time,anyway)
password123
Wait a sec, let me change my login password……
OK. The worst password I ever used was my wife’s initials.
Wort password was right out of Spaceballs:
12345
“now somebody change the combination on my luggage”
Probably using name with 123 at the end.
It could had been p4ssw0rd
worst password I used was ‘a’
I used to use 2, one for everything at college and work and one for home.
They where ‘hello’ and ‘letmein’. Sounds really stupid now, but things did’nt seem that bad years ago LOL.
The easy palindrome 12321
With few variations 1234321 123454321
LOL
The worst password I”ve used is 1234.
My wost passwords were as follows:
password
password1
1
nopassword
pass
I rarely use weak password, my only problem is i have a habit using the same password for everything.
Hm. I’ve used “password”, but maybe “me” was the worst of the lot. That was a long time ago…
qwerty
My first name
the worst password i ever used was “www.hotmail.com” for my hotmail id ……….
I commonly use a random sequence of numbers and letters – and I usually forget them, since they are too complicated – so all my passwords are pretty bad in that sense
I’m not giving out the worst password I’ve used, because I still use it on all the Web sites that require registration that have none of my important or sensitive information.
yahoopassword for Yahoo!Mail account…
…he he……’ guest’ and ‘test’
The worst password I ever used is “abcdefg”.
The worst password I ever used was “Password”, when the login said “Please enter password”.
At least you changed capital letter
safe
What is the worst password you have ever used?
password
wised up but used to be my name doh!
worst password? It was “wrong password”
Worst password I have ever used is 123456789
I’ve used what translates to ‘password’ in my native tongue in many places. Where it matters though, I try to come up with something wittier.
Off topic: your rules state that the e-mail should be answered in seven (3) days; which is it?
Thanks for catching that! Seven (7) it is.
yup, i did it too. for years. used PASSWORD
I just used 4 zeros or just enter
“Julia2″
For me , the worst password I have used, albeit many years ago, is a toss-up between the obligatory ‘password’, and ‘christmas’. Being young and uneducated, they seemed good at the time… If only Iknew then what I know now. lol
Worst password used is no password for Windows account, but for some actual text/numbers it is “qwerty” and “1234″ that I deem the worst (none of those three mentioned are in use now).
My worst was 123456
‘password’ must be one of the worst, but I’ve used some other pretty bad ones too like my birth date, phone number etc. Luckily in the online world, I’ve been safe (knock on wood) from password problems. I’ve taken the time at one point to change all passwords to unique passwords in all services. One thing that helps me, is a personal (encrypted & protected) key-chain, which contains passwords (randomly generated) to all services which I don’t use on a daily basis. My key-chain contains 133 entries at the moment and that’s just my personal services!
The worst password I ever used was oxygen. I was in love with Mendeleev’s periodic table:)
The worst password that i used was 000000, 888888 or something to that effect. Totally useless. Now i know better and mix it up with letters, numbers, caps, etc and change my password every couple of months for greater security and peace of mind.
I honestly can’t think of a worst password that I have ever used. I have always been so paranoid about using unhackable passwords that I write mine down because even I won’t be able to remember them. I also change mine frequently. Its a pain in the butt but it seems to work for me. If I have to pick one that was bad…I’ll go with topmanbudshaluc555 which was the first three letters in each of my cats names in order that I got them.
Worst must have been using my debit card’s pin code for everything at one point. Ironically I was living in Sweden at the time, haha.
i think my worst password is “mypassword”
Tuborg
“Salasana” – but this will work for us Finns only… ;^)
The password was me lol
Have to agree on password being the worst, lots of business give you the word password to use until you change it to your own.
The worst password I ever used was my first name Debbie.
Password1 But this was for a job I didn’t care for.
Worst password I ever used was admin.
The worst password that I used was my name with my birthdate.
the worst password I used would be password.
Don’t blame me, yet, that’s what I remember: lizstr
If you love your partner, you just think it is the greatest to use her name, or part thereof …
Upgraded since, both my password and devotion
Mein schlechtester Password war Name von meinen Bildschirm – konnte man immer schnell nachgucken. Leider auch nicht so schwer zu knacken – “SAMSUNG”. Tja, so war das früher.
i ever use password : “secret”, and my friend easily guess it
Password with capital P
The worst password was 123456
123456 is prob up there, closely followed by password
My worst password was 12345
test
The worst password I ever set was for the master key for .kdbx file of Keepass. After painstakingly entering all my passwords in the database during its first use I set a complex passphrase for the master key that was generated by the app itself. It was so complex that I couldn’t recollect it immediately and don’t remember even till now. I still have that .kbdx file hoping to recover it some day or if I recollect the password.
Worst password I ever used was “nothing”
The first password to my first ever email was “secret” .. so every time someone asked me for my password, i tell them, “secret” .. and then they persist on asking me still, even though i just gave them the password! LOL
i used my first name, it was long enough but easily figured out. i got a program now that makes up passwords and i change them often. i had my itunes account stolen. changed my email and password. i got it back, but only after they stole $60. it was refunded. lesson learned.
zippy573 (AT) netscape (DOT) net
Definitely “guest”, with a very original username (“guest”).
I have use ‘qwerty’ for long time
since 2008 I didn’t use anymore
my worst was kamar123 …. infact my orkut was hacked
One of my first passwords was “qwerty”. I also STILL have a password that matches my username. Perhaps I should change it.
byebye123
been a few worst passwords which i was forced to use before i switched to keepass (a brilliant utilty & free one too), since then all my passwords are of max (read insane!) length with a varied complexity.
amongst them “T3wp0r@ry” “P@s5w0rD” was the most common for those pesky logins which required a complex pass phrase.
hint: don’t bother i no more use them, just in-case if someone’s getting ideas!
Worst password I ever used was HellsGate
Yea, I have used temp123 before!
worst password I ever used was 0000012345
Iamgod was probably my worst
My worst password was ****** (six asterisks).
Every time I type it shows clear on screen
Very probably just “asdf”.
My worst password was also “1234″
Mein schlechtestes Passwort war: 000000
my mobile phone number with forgot password question ‘what is your mobile phone number?’ -_-
Worst password — abcdefg
one of my worst password is “password”…
The worst password ever used?
My first initial and last name. It was assigned by the IT dept of a previous employer!
worst password ever.. would be 4321. because I just thought that everybody uses 1234 and no one will ever think about the opposite. Other stupid ones would be.. nachos, turkey and mississippi because that one was long.
))
I have used “test” as password on public testing site.
password
of course
My worst password ever was “asdfghjkl;’”. I used it because I could swipe my finger along the middle row of my keyboard and hit enter all in one. Quick and convenient, but so obvious (and loud) that everyone caught on after a few days!
My favorites:
itsme
changeit
Year 1992 and the “Classic One”: qwerty
12345
123456 – epic fail of security, reason being?… the site wouldn’t take extended characters.
I was asked to set a parental control software for when the litte brother was goin on the internet
)
Master password is his forname (howard), he still didn’t found it
Worst password I use (and much worse, gave to others as an admin) is…
a (yep, only a)
But it’s only as the one time password only for the BlackBerry Entreprise Activation, and I set it only mere seconds before it’s use with the concerned person on the phone.
my worst password was : delete
I think “asdf” my worst pass that i ever used
The worst password I ever used:
The worst one I have used was monkey. Not to good but it worked till I got smart enough to make a longer one with numbers. Hoping I can post. MCJunkie.
The worst password I’ve ever used is the same as my account, ex. user: name@server.com pass: name.
the worst password I ever used was 0
For years in work I used a password which was something like “xR5u0355fJ”. It always got past the company’s Password Security Audit. However, it was the original password which was given to me when I joined the company, was recorded in their records, was in my Joiners Pack, and was even written on a post-it on my notice board.
I would have to agree with Nick, worst possible password is no password.
while still studying we fiddled with a UNIX system and one of the guys from our team had a password he changed every day (since we tried hacking each others accounts) …
thing is: on Friday the password was Friday, on Monday it was Monday, on … well you et the idea
‘changeme’ is one of the better “passwords”, and if you can’t change ‘changeme’ to a better one its that more interesting
The worst password I’ve ever used was “wasd” or “qwerty”.
password
the worst password : my birthday
hmmm
12345678 is the worst password ever!
worst password? “password” LOL
spammer
My worst password was “password”. Stupid.
Worst password I ever used was my Birthday. I also used my first name a few times. SO stupid!
I used 123456789 and Heres a good one , My first and last name(creative , huh!)
The lamest password I ever used was probably abc123
mulyono is the worst password that i ever used …
I only know one of my passwords. I always tell friends never to use simple pw’s or write them on paper and to get a pw program.
The worst password I’ve ever used is CATDOG
The worst I’ve seen is abcdef – or your own birthday – I’ve used Nopassword which is dumb also
I think the password 12345 is quite easy to break!
The worst password I ever used was an old boyfriend’s name followed by his month & day of birth. I forgot about it when we broke up & he got into my email account everyday and was spying on all my communications. I found out when he got so mad about something I said about him in an email he called me about it, you never saw anyone close an email account so fast in their life as I did that day!! I learned from that point forward, to be less obvious when choosing passwords! Thanks so much for the chance to enter. I am also following on twitter and tweeting as @joannaonthelake
My worst password was:
Log:”Admin”
Pass:”Admin”
easy to type and remember but easy also to discover…
The worst password that I have ever used is password. Stopped that years ago.
My worst password ever, was when I started out studying computing around 12 years ago, I just setup my first email account and when asked for a password I was looking at the keyboard and thought of the word fingers
My worst password that I ever used was “patricia”
Mine was simply a shame
1111
my worst was andrew… my son’s name… lame i know!
I used my username as my password (chrissycrue100). Not a good idea!
I used my celebrity crush’s name in high school as my password, and I also had a screensaver up of the celebrity at the same time. Not my brightest idea!
Worst password would have to be 123456, this was the standard password all accounts were
reset to at work. The only problem, the same password was used for all 1000+ employees!
I think 12345 is the worst password
asdf. Lol
i remember back in the mid 90′s i use to use the website name & then would use my user name for the site, thankfully i never got pwned but i wised up quickly
Worst Password I’ve used before: Sex c”,
admin123 is easy to remember.. but i guess it’s the worst password i ever used..
password : neelie
- > reverse of Eileen.. lol..
My worst one would be 123456. I can’t believe so many people here used that LOL
It’s been so long since I haven’t used a strong password, it’s hard to recall for sure. I vaguely remember using my daughter’s name for a password on a site. Whether it was an email acct., or not, I’m not sure.
I now use such strong passwords, I write them down or print out a list. After awhile, I have my most used passwords memorized and never use the same one for another acct.
Password, of course.
welcome was pw used when i first started in IT. Then we “changed” it up in 2000 to welcome2k. that was when i was an intern and had to follow.
Worst passord? 290189Sla0sd9l2 … Thank you auto-generatied password… now try to logging at work with that… 3 wrong you have to get another crazy password like that… you couldn’t change it for something of your choice . And yes this was one of the password I had to use…
The worst password I used was “iloveyou” (without quotes) in my Yahoo mail account. But lately realized after reading an article that the password I’ve been using is identical to millions of user. So, I changed it to more complex, hard-to-guess one.:0
The worst password was my firstname… pirkko
my worst password was “leo123″ and “password”
One of my worst passwords was 010203.
My worst password i used was given by yahoo mail when i created my user. It was like this: “wean132dove425″. It was to long and to hard to remember, but i used it about 3 years…
My worst password i used is 1. Of course i used this @ work the LAN management and account of the network. But i did that only cause i was in a hurry. That wasn`t too hard to forget…
My worst password was 123456
The simplest was: “Orlando” (my name)
for my email and the email consists in orlandosurname@…… (Now is changed)
ok– i used my name for my password, long enough but easy to figure out. and yes if you make stuff up as u go along make sure you write them down somewhere. unless you have a nosey family…
I remember that i used my nicknames that people used to call me by.
My worst password would have to be “Hello” and I used it for everything. I’m a bit wiser now!
i really really hope i win this Ipod touch as that is all my gransdon talks about ..he wants one for xmas..please pick me so i will be the “best mimi”
my worse password was mom
thanks for a great giveaway
el
At my begining online used …maria.
I never give out private information no matter how old.
i think it was: Safestpasswordever!
The worst password I have ever used is: QWERTY.
Yes, very easy to remember. No, not very secure…
From the beginning I have considered that passwords should be hard to guess… but, for unimportant things I use simple combinations like: qaz, wsx, 123qwe, 2222 etc
my own name : “jono”
The worst password that I ever used was 12345
the worst password that i’ve used was “i forgot it”. yeah i forgot it, coz its too long and i cant remember it… The worst password is the forgotten password..
My worst password is the one I currently use. It describes me perfectly. Weirdo.
HI
the worst being “username” “password” “000000″ “999999″ “admin” “pass” “dateofbirth”
Hmm… well, nimda wasn’t a good choice, nor was qwerty.
The weakest password is used is “1″, but the worst really was when I include “spaces” at the end.
“password”
too stupid to consider!
The worst password I ever used was a random 12 characters I copied from the code displayed by trying to view an image file in a text editor.
The form had one of those annoying/challenging Strong — Weak indicators. So I used something like “TþõˆÁÀÚ3šŽæî”.
My hard drive crashed before the next scheduled back up and I lost the file where I had saved it.
My worst password was at work – same as my userid, which was also same as the first half of my email address…
I was the only IT guy in the company I worked before and had default password for all systems. It was “f**kyouall”.
So one day I fell ill. My boss called me for emergency and asked for the password. I told him the password. He was like “No no! I know you’re very sick, but this is very urgent!” And I repeat the password until I realised it sound really bad and he wasn’t so happy to hear that.
The next day I came to work spending whole morning changing password on all the systems. Generated and unique.
Lesson learnt.
My worst password has to be “soleil” (“sun” in French).
The worst password was my school name with my birthdate.
my town where i live is the worst password