The gist of the story is that “123456” is now the most commonly used weak password—surpassing the use of the word “password.”
Although that story is good for a laugh or two, the password “123456” isn’t the problem at all, in my view. In fact, I can use that password as securely or as insecurely as any other one. I know what you’re thinking, and, no, I’m not crazy. Allow me to explain.
Today’s hackers aren’t typically manually going to a Website or a service and typing in passwords like “123456” in order to gain access; that’s just not how attacks work. The modern hacker (and pen tester on the security research side) uses automated tools that typically include dictionary-type password-cracking tools. These are tools that will hit a given Website log-in form with every word combination in a dictionary (for example, every word in the English language). So whether you choose “123456” or the word “dog,” it’s just as easy to crack.
Read the full story at eWEEK:
Password Security Requires Multiple Layers of Protection
Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at InternetNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TechJournalist.