By Jillian Jennett
Staff Writer

In a stunning turn of events, people still choose terrible passwords.

SplashData has released its annual list of the worst passwords of 2015 in hopes of encouraging people to make their passwords more secure to avoid identity theft and hacking. These passwords, taken from users from North America and Western Europe, have remained relatively consistent in years past, but a few new contenders for “worst password” have entered the mix.

The reigning champion from 2014 has carried over to 2015, with the classic “123456” as the worst and most used password of the year. This is followed closely by second time runner-up “password.” While some passwords are relatively uncreative, like “1234,” “1111111” and “qwerty,” some of the more interesting passwords point to cultural media shifts in the past year.

While “baseball” and “football” continue  to be on the list, they are being overtaken by newcomers. “Starwars,” “solo,” and “princess” may directly tie to the new, box office-smashing “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” “Dragon” and “master,” both favorites from last year, remain relatively low on the list, perhaps due to the decline of “Game of Thrones” in some public spheres.

Regardless of the cultural implications of bad password trends, one thing is certain: it’s probably time to change your password.  SplashData has helpfully offered a few tips on cyber security. First, do not use the same password over and over on different sites. Next, use passwords with twelve characters or more, mixing the types of characters. Finally, do not use any of these bad passwords.

Check out the list and see if you’re guilty of poor password behavior.