(Image source: Tech4Globe )

 

BY LOGAN TITTLE

 

Having hacker problems? Maybe a weak password is to blame. Trustwave, a security firm, revealed the number one password — is Password1.  FOX affiliate KSWB tells why.

 

“Computer technicians say it is the most popular password because it uses an upper case letter, a number and nine characters which a lot of accounts require.”


Sci-Tech Today reports this is a result of trying to meet the bare-minimum requirements for systems like Microsoft’s Active Directory. But Trustwave says companies should be trying a little harder.

 

“Trustwave puts the blame not only on employees, but also on businesses, since they allow employees and system administrators to use weak passwords.”

 

And PC Mag says some companies even use usernames as passwords, making small changes to them as IT policy requires — which might also lead to slacking security.

 

“A big problem for business users is that IT policy requiring that passwords be complex and changed frequently—not to mention environments that necessitate several different passwords—is making it more difficult to commit those passwords to memory.”

 

So what can you do? ABC’s KNXV has some ideas.

 

“…you got to make it more complicated, add symbols that have no logic to them…and definitely your facebook, all those things, don't use your birth date or anything like that…”

 

And CNN suggests — make it longer.

 

“Length is the only effective guard against those. A seven-character password has 70 trillion possible combinations; an eight-character password takes that to more than 6 quadrillion.”

 

The company says “Password1” accounts for five percent of all passwords. “Welcome” holds the number two slot, at one percent.

 

Transcript by Newsy.