By Brian O'Donovan
Work & Technology Correspondent
New research has revealed that the names of sports clubs, celebrities and TV
shows are among the most common passwords used by Irish people, but also
prime targets for cybercriminals.
Data from Cyber Skills shows that passwords such as "liverpoolfc",
"roykeane" and ''glenroe" are widely used and easily guessed by hackers.
Globally, the most commonly hacked passwords are "123456", "qwerty" and
"password".
To mark Cyber Security Month, Irish people are being urged to re-evaluate
and strengthen their password choices.
"What many consider a 'strong' password, referencing cultural touchpoints,
is in fact easily deciphered by cybercriminals," said Dr Hazel Murray from
Cyber Skills.
"There's a common misconception that if a password contains personal
information or interests that it will be strong."
"Good passwords are multiple words strung together and avoid easily
recognisable phrases," Dr Murray said.
Dr Richard Browne, Director of the National Cyber Security Centre, said
people should use strong, long diverse passwords.
"The longer the password, the more difficult it is to break," Dr Browne
said.
"If you go to ten characters or more it gets very very difficult to break
it," he added.
Cyber Security Month is an annual campaign to raise awareness about the
importance of cybersecurity.
Through a series of events, workshops and online resources, the campaign
aims to empower individuals and businesses to take control of their digital
lives and protect themselves against cyber threats.
RTÉ News.
