Microsoft will no longer let you use '12345' as your password

The golden age of passwords is coming to a close.

The change started when websites started rating passwords as we were creating them, trying to get us to add some capital letters and symbols to boost their status from weak to strong.

Some more-ambitious websites started requiring users to include a number, a capital and lowercase letter, and/or a symbol. Now Microsoft has banned certain basic passwords altogether, according to one of its team's blogs.

The passwords that are being dynamically banned across Microsoft services (including Outlook, Skype, Xbox and more) are pulled from the annual "Worst Password List" by SplashData. These passwords include "123456" and "password" at the top of the list, along with the ever-popular "qwerty" and new entrant "starwars." Read more...