Here Are the 25 Worst Internet Passwords of 2012 (Make Sure You Aren't Using Them)

The point can't be hammered home enough: As annoying as it is to have capitalized letters, numbers and symbols in a random password combination, it's a much better alternative to having accounts infiltrated by those with malicious intent.

Just in case you're unsure of what a bad password might be, SlashData released its annual list of worst passwords.

Although the top three worst ones in the list remain unchanged -- "password," "123456," and "12345678," -- there are newcomers as well, including "jesus" and "ninja".

"At this time of year, people enjoy focusing on scary costumes, movies and decorations, but those who have been through it can tell you how terrifying it is to have your identity stolen because of a hacked password,” Morgan Slain, SplashData CEO, said in a statement. “We're hoping that with more publicity about how risky it is to use weak passwords, more people will start taking simple steps to protect themselves by using stronger passwords and using different passwords for different websites."

Here's the full list in order of worst password offender and how its position relates compared to last year:

1. password      Unchanged
2. 123456          Unchanged
3. 12345678     Unchanged
4. abc123           Up 1
5. qwerty           Down 1
6. monkey         Unchanged
7. letmein          Up 1
8. dragon          Up 2
9. 111111            Up 3
10. baseball        Up 1
11. iloveyou        Up 2
12. trustno1        Down 3
13. 1234567        Down 6
14. sunshine      Up 1
15. master           Down 1
16. 123123           Up 4
17. welcome        New
18. shadow          Up 1
19. ashley             Down 3
20. football           Up 5
21. jesus                New
22. michael          Up 2
23. ninja               New
24. mustang         New
25. password1     New

This list was developed from files of stolen passwords posted online by hackers. SplashData suggests if your personal or company passwords include any on this list to change them.

“Even though each year hacking tools get more sophisticated, thieves still tend to prefer easy targets,” Slain said. “Just a little bit more effort in choosing better passwords will go a long way toward making you safer online.”

Check out these 9 tip to protect your online identity, which includes password fortification, here.

Featured image via Shutterstock.com.