The Oscar event in March 2023 prompted Specops to refresh their breached password list, which disclosed the most commonly used movies as passwords.
A recent study analysed more than 800 million passwords that were leaked and belonged to a subset of Specops Breached Password Protection, holding over 2 billion breached passwords. The research highlights fan-favourite movie ‘Rocky’ in pole position, with nearly 96,000 in the recorded breached password lists. The movies ‘Hook’ and ‘The Matrix’ also ranked highly, making an appearance in over 75,000 and 50,000 breached password lists.
The Top 20 Movies Found in Breached Passwords:
- Rocky
- Hook
- Matrix
- Batman
- Psycho
- Superman
- Avatar
- Mummy
- Twilight
- Star Wars
- Spiderman
- Frozen
- X-men
- Ironman
- Jaws
- Shrek
- Twister
- Gladiator
- Titanic
- Terminator
Although it is entertaining to highlight the effect of commonly used passwords such as movie titles, it is crucial not to overlook the negative consequences that weak and compromised passwords can have on an organisation’s cybersecurity risk. When passwords appear on breached password lists, it can invariably leave enterprise email, apps, servers, and devices vulnerable to unauthorised access required to initiate a cyberattack.
To fortify and maintain security, companies need to implement strong password policies that address not only weak but also compromised passwords, particularly those known to be breached. Specops Password Policy, through its integration of password best practices and guidelines from reputable authorities such as NIST and CMMC, makes it convenient for IT administrators to enforce stricter passwords and block weaker ones that appear on breached password lists. By doing so, companies can reduce the cybersecurity risk and foster a more secure environment for their data and digital assets.
It’s always advisable to perform a free read-only scan by Specops Password Auditor to know whether breached passwords, including movie passwords, are being used in your organisation’s Active Directory environment. By performing this free scan, companies can identify which breached passwords are in use and respond with appropriate action to safeguard their sensitive information from potential cybercriminals. It’s increasingly important to keep up with ever-evolving IT technologies and software to reduce cybersecurity risks in the modern age.