Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

CNN's List Of The Most Commonly Hacked Passwords Reveals That We've Never Moved On From The Late '90s

CNN's List Of The Most Commonly Hacked Passwords Reveals That We've Never Moved On From The Late '90s
Witthaya Prasongsin / EyeEm/GettyImages, @christiannilsen/Twitter




With cyber attacks and compromised accounts being constant concerns, you may want to rethink your password strategy. Especially if your passwords are specific to the '90s.

CNN shared the most common passwords people come up with, and some will shock you.

Many Internet users use names, sports teams and expletives, while "123456" was the most common used by 23.2 million accounts.

Now that's just lazy.

If you fall into any of the above-mentioned categories and want your information protected, it's time for a change.


According to a survey taken by UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), one of the top passwords used to break into systems worldwide was "Blink182."


If you're not familiar with the code word, Blink 182 was a Southern California band that dominated the skate punk scene in the early '90s, which was known for its irreverent humor with songs like "Apple Shampoo" and "Dammit."




CNN tweeted out the other usual suspects, including "iloveyou" and "superman."






Fans of the band were made fun of for their nostalgia-inspired password.


Dedicated fans of Blink-182 spoke out.




Finally, Blink's percussionist Travis Barker weighed in with an "oh well" emoji, and fans responded by admitting they use his name as a password.





Ian Levy, NCSC Technical Director suggested avoiding the obvious choices like first names and favorite bands.

"Password re-use is a major risk that can be avoided -- nobody should protect sensitive data with something that can be guessed, like their first name, local football team or favorite band."

He added:

"Using hard-to-guess passwords is a strong first step and we recommend combining three random but memorable words. Be creative and use words memorable to you, so people can't guess your password."

Sorry to disappoint, but Blink-182 can't save you now. If you need a handy place to keep all your passwords in one place, check out this notebook. Or this one. But, uh, don't leave them somewhere obvious. That's like using 123456 for everything.

More from Trending

Rory McIlroy
Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Golf Star Rory McIlroy Slams 'Abusive' American Fans After Ryder Cup Matches In New York

The Bethpage Black Golf Course in Old Bethpage, New York, hosted the Ryder Cup over the weekend. MAGA Republican President Donald Trump was in attendance with his granddaughter Kai.

Twelve top players from the States faced off against twelve top players from Europe.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sean Penn; Charlie Kirk
Karwai Tang/WireImage; Benjamin Hanson/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Sean Penn Sparks Heated Debate After Explaining Why He Thinks We 'Need' People Like Charlie Kirk In Politics

Academy Award-winning actor Sean Penn stirred controversy after he told the New York Times that we "need" people like the late far-right activist Charlie Kirk in politics despite disagreeing with "almost everything" Kirk believed in.

Kirk was assassinated earlier this month while speaking at a university in Utah; the suspect was caught after a two-day manhunt and has since been charged.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ariana Grande; Donald Trump
Dia Dipasupil/FilmMagic; Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Ariana Grande Slams Trump With Blistering Question For Everyone Who Voted For Him

Wicked star Ariana Grande criticized President Donald Trump by posing a blunt question on Instagram for his supporters now that Trump has been in office for 250 days and counting.

Grande has been a consistently vocal advocate for social justice for many years and she circulated a post from podcaster Matt Bernstein calling out Trump supporters now that, among other things, Trump's immigration crackdown is in full swing and the government is threatening free speech rights.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Trump Ripped After Gloating About How Golden Oval Office Makes World Leaders 'Freak Out'

President Donald Trump is known for his gaudy taste in decor and now he has people rolling their eyes after he claimed that all of the gold decorations in the Oval Office actually makes visitors "freak out" due to its "quality and beauty."

The Oval Office has been significantly revamped since Trump took office in January—it features, among other things, fireplace adorned with gold cherubs and medallions, surrounded by portraits of American statesmen in ornate gold frames and shelves filled with gilded figurines, urns, and freshly installed Rococo mirrors.

Keep ReadingShow less
A man and a woman resting their heads on one another staring into the distance.
man and woman standing on brown field during daytime

People Reveal The Seemingly Insignificant Gestures That Showed Them How Much Their Partner Cares

It's always nice when our partner makes a grand gesture to show how much they love and care about us.

Be it a surprise romantic getaway, a nice dinner out, or a gift they knew we'd been eyeing, what touches us the most is knowing they did this to show how much we mean to them.

Keep ReadingShow less