Never Ever Use These 7 Passwords

For businesses, so much of their information is preserved in a database of some kind. From employee information, financials, addresses, inventory and other datasets – your business could be completely compromised if security is not a priority.

Passwords are a common defense against data theft, but they’re also a common weakness. A bad password is a point of vulnerability for most businesses’ digital security. To protect your business, you can begin by avoiding these seven weak passwords.

1 Password

Even if you replace the ‘a’ with an @ symbol (or other similar variations), it is still one of the first choices data thieves will try.

2. QWERTY

Passwords such as this one are just as easy for you to remember as they are for hackers to guess. Other keystroke-pattern passwords will also be compromised with relative ease.

3. 12345

Just like ‘QWERTY,’ ascending and descending numbered patterns are incredibly easy for hackers to get past.

4. [BusinessName]1

Putting your business’s name in the password – even accompanied with numbers and symbols – is a popular go-to for businesses, but it’s also an ill-advised one. Everybody does this, and it will be one of the first choices hackers try.

5. Business Address

This is almost as easy as putting the business name in the password. Different combinations of your street name and address number will definitely be tested by data thieves.

6. Date of Birth

It usually won’t take more than a quick internet search for hackers to learn your birthday. Avoid birthdays, years of birth or dates. Important occasions such as a company’s founding or your anniversary are also poor choices.

7. Simple Words

Using simple words, especially those related to your business, are a creative choice, but hackers are expecting it. If you work in healthcare for instance, avoid words such as care, nurse or health.

Strong passwords need to be unique such as a phrase and include a variety of numbers, symbols, uppercase letters and lowercase letters. They need to be easy for you to remember while also not being obvious. Avoiding the seven types of passwords above will be a good place for your business to begin, though.

These are the Worst Passwords

According to SplashData, almost 10% of people have used at least one of the 25 worst passwords on this year’s list, and nearly 3% of people have used the worst password, 123456. Here are the worst passwords from the past year:

1. 123456
2. password
3. 123456789
4. 12345678
5. 12345
6. 111111
7. 1234567
8. sunshine
9. qwerty
10. iloveyou
11. princess
12. admin
13. welcome
14. 666666
15. abc123
16. football
17. 123123
18. monkey
19. 654321
20. !@#$%^&*
21. charlie
22. aa123456 w
23. donald
24. password1
25. qwerty123

You can view the full list here.

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Our software exceeds HIPAA standards, offering dual-control password management, password rotation management and table-level encryption. We ensure that equipment and facilities are secure for your business, and CompanyMileage pledges to never make your data accessible to third parties.

When your company is considering transitioning to a cloud-supported mileage tracking and reimbursement system, CompanyMileage is the most secure option. Learn more about our protections and other benefits by requesting a demo today!