Password denied: ‘123456’ takes mantle as worst code: PCWorld

The world's worst "password" has finally been dethroned.

The term, widely considered by security experts as one of the more frequently used–and most susceptible to hack attempts–passwords has been replaced by "123456", according to PCWorld. The publication, citing a list compiled by security firm Splashdata, said the numeric chain moved into the number one slot last year. Prior to that, "password" had dominated the rankings for years.

The list of dubious passwords also included gems like "qwerty", "abc123" and "letmein".

Password security has taken on increasing importance in a world where hacking and identity theft has become more commonplace. Weak passwords are more vulnerable to what PCWorld called "brute force attacks."

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