The most commonly used passwords of 2013.

Source: SplashData

The number sequence "123456" has been named the worst password of 2013, according to new research.

It finished top in a list of the 25 most commonly used passwords, compiled from files containing millions of stolen passwords posted online last year.

The word "password", which previously held the top spot in the rankings, slipped to number two on the list, according to SplashData, which compiled the data.
The list was influenced by a major security breach at software company Adobe in October, which affected tens of millions of users, researchers said.It resulted in a large number of personal details and passwords being posted online.

Morgan Slain, chief executive of SplashData, which makes password management applications, said: "Seeing passwords like 'adobe123' and 'photoshop' on this list offers a good reminder not to base your password on the name of the website or application you are accessing."

The company said the list showed that "many people continue to put themselves at risk by using weak, easily guessable passwords".

Kaspersky labs has uncovered one of the most advanced global malware threats.

From itproportal:


Kaspersky labs has uncovered one of the most advanced global malware threats ever to be discovered, according to the latest reports.
Dubbed "The Mask", or "Careto" the program is a sophisticated cyber espionage tool apparently developed in a Spanish-speaking country.

The primary targets range from government institutions, diplomatic offices and embassies, energy, oil and gas companies, research organisations and activists, and have been found across 31 countries around the world.
Kaspersky believes The Mask may have been active since as early as 2007.

The main objective of the attackers is apparently to gather sensitive data from systems it infects. These include office documents, but also various encryption keys, VPN configurations, SSH keys (which identify a user to an SSH server) and RDP files (used by the Remote Desktop Client to automatically open a connection).