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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."
@markhoppus I prefer Blink-182 because it has at least 1 capital letter, 1 lowercase letter, and 1 special character.— shawn vazinski (@shawn vazinski) 1555936770.0
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 dammit— ナタリヤ☄️ (@ナタリヤ☄️) 1555936400.0
@kawaiijhs @CNN well i guess this is growing up— Christian Nilsen (@Christian Nilsen) 1555943657.0
@christiannilsen @kawaiijhs @CNN https://t.co/liDQYEnVTW— Dawn (@Dawn) 1555951480.0
CNN tweeted out the other usual suspects, including "iloveyou" and "superman."
If your password is one of these words or phrases, it's time to change it: • blink182 • liverpool • superman • man… https://t.co/bJsBVjXKds— CNN (@CNN) 1555932006.0
@CNN Ha! That’s why my PW is blink183— Marc Arbeit (@Marc Arbeit) 1555933412.0
@markhoppus @theupvibes CNN : Changes Password to Blink184 Hackers: These guys are good— Who Really Cares Tho🤷🏼♂️ (@Who Really Cares Tho🤷🏼♂️) 1555939925.0
Fans of the band were made fun of for their nostalgia-inspired password.
@CNN If you like Blink182 or the Cowboys, it's time to make more changes in your life than just your password :)— Blake Raab - N4BWR (@Blake Raab - N4BWR) 1555932189.0
Dedicated fans of Blink-182 spoke out.
@N4BWR @CNN This is politically inciting speech. Blink will always be great! I need my safe space now...— Dave Bishop, Libertarian (@Dave Bishop, Libertarian) 1555932420.0
@N4BWR @CNN Screw the Cowboys, but blink182? Them's fighting words!— the_sign_of_jonas (@the_sign_of_jonas) 1555965111.0
@N4BWR @CNN This is offensive. Blink 182 is the shit! Not to mention that Travis Barker is my longest running crush— 🧡Stacie Allison🧡 Vol 🍊 (@🧡Stacie Allison🧡 Vol 🍊) 1555983785.0
@N4BWR @CNN tread very carefully with your next words about blink 182— AIDAN (@AIDAN) 1555978864.0
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.
@travisbarker @CNN hi Travis, I use your name as my password in my online games— ithalo in hard times (@ithalo in hard times) 1555949633.0
@travisbarker @CNN It’s okay, my password is travisbarker— meg with luv 💫 (@meg with luv 💫) 1555962173.0
@travisbarker @CNN travisbarker69**— meg with luv 💫 (@meg with luv 💫) 1555962190.0
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.