These breached
Turns out, even the most sci-fi-inspired passwords still need the occasional capital letter and special character splashed in.
Image: Shutterstock/Stefano Buttafoco
Due to its phonetic similarities with the famous line in the storied film franchise —”May the force be with you”—May 4 is also known as Star Wars Day among sci-fans and cinephiles alike. Just in time for the occasion, Specops Software, a password management and authentication company, released a roundup of the most commonly used “Star Wars”-themed passwords. Turns out, even the most sci-fi-inspired passwords still need the occasional capital letter and special character splashed in.
SEE: IT expense reimbursement policy (TechRepublic Premium)
“‘Star Wars’ fans might wish they could use the Force to stop password attacks but sadly that option is unavailable to us,” said Darren James, head of internal IT at Specops Software.
“Password attacks continue to rise and the only real solution is to ensure you have secure password policies in place to protect your network, especially policies that protect against the use of leaked passwords,” James continued.
From a subset of over 2 billion breach passwords in Specops Breached Password Protection, the company said it assessed over 800 million breached passwords to determine the list.
Having appeared on lists of breached passwords more nearly 37,000 times, “yoda” takes the top spot among “Star Wars”-themed credentials. Runner-up “starwars” appears on these lists more than 22,000 times while third-place “ewok” appeared more than 17,000 times. “Hansolo,” “darthvader” round out the top five with “bobafett” listed as the sixth most common “Star Wars”-inspired password listed on breached lists.
“I might be the biggest ‘Star Wars’ fan at Specops, so I understand why ‘Star Wars’ is such a source of inspiration for passwords,” said James, whose office includes a Death Star clock, according to the release.
SEE: Juggling remote work with kids’ education is a mammoth task. Here’s how employers can help (free PDF) (TechRepublic)
While the notorious Death Star does not appear on the top 20 list, a number of iconic “Star Wars” characters are represented. Colloquially known as Baby Yoda, the character formally known as Grogu has been a recent fan favorite and its password namesake a la “grogu” came in at No. 8, just ahead of “obiwankenobi” and “lukeskywalker” to round out the top 10. Princess Leia Organa wasn’t spared in the rankings with “princessleia” coming it at No. 15.
Interestingly, the titles of franchise films and popular spinoffs also make the top 20. For example, “anewhope” ranks 12 on the list, “mandalorian” ranked 14th and “rogueone” barely made the cut at No. 20.
It’s also important to note that one of the most recognizable lines in film history also made the list with “iamyourfather” coming in at No. 18.
Innovation Newsletter
Be in the know about smart cities, AI, Internet of Things, VR, AR, robotics, drones, autonomous driving, and more of the coolest tech innovations.
Delivered Wednesdays and Fridays
