Following is a list of the most commonly used passwords, according to Dark Reading.

• The highest percentage of passwords are a person’s first name. This could be their own first name, their spouse’s, their children’s or even a movie or a sports star’s name.
• Patterns on the keyboard are the second most popular passwords. These could be “1234”; “abcd”; “qwerty”; “asdf”; “1qaz2wsx”; “1q2w3e” etc.
• Pop culture references from TV, movies, music etc are popular passwords. “ironman”; “blink182”; “starwars”; “hannah” etc are some examples.
• “Password” or variations of the word is not such a clever password because it is fairly common. Popular variations are “passwordz”; “passw0rd”; “passwd”; “password1” and even “drowssap” (password spelt backwards).
• Referencing things that are nearby is also fairly common. “Samsung” is a popular password, probably because the make of the monitor the person is looking at. Similarly, “dell”; “packard”; “apple”; “pavilion”; “compaq” are common ones too.
• Emotional words and phrases are common with passwords with the F-word being the most popular. “iloveyou” and “ihateyou” are fairly common too.
• “Idontcare”; “whatever”; “blahblah” and “whocares” are very common passwords.

Steer clear of passwords that follow the patterns mentioned above. In addition, follow some of these tips to choose a good password.

• Do not use the same password for every website. If one site is compromised, all your other accounts will be compromised as well.
• Make sure the passwords are different for your online dating account and your email account and both passwords should be equally strong.
• Do not use dictionary words as hackers will use electronic dictionaries to figure out passwords and they try every word until they get the right one.
• Create a password using a combination of alpha-numeric characters and make it something that the hacker cannot easily identify with your identity.
• Use both upper and lower case characters.
• Use the entire keyboard as patterns are much easier to figure out if you use just one section of the keyboard.
• Make your own acronym. Think of a sentence that is easy to remember, such as “My mum is 52 years old” and your password could be “MMI52Y0” or any other variation that is easy for you to remember.
• Do not use a password that is mentioned as an example of a good password on websites/books.
• Use a password that is easy to type so that even if someone is looking over your shoulder, they cannot guess your password by simply looking at your keyboard.
• If you must write down your password, make sure you write your username and password in different places.

Tip: Never give out your password to anyone. There is no reason for anyone but you to know the password to your online dating account or email address. Scammers often use emotional blackmail to get their hands on your password, so don’t fall for it.

Last but not the least; the most important thing to remember about passwords is that you must change them regularly for maximum security. Find more detailed information in the Security Guide written for Red Hat Linux.

If your account has been hacked into and your details compromised, get in touch with the dating company immediately. They will verify your identity and close your profile or at least make it inaccessible to the hacker. If you use the same password for any other accounts on other websites, change them immediately.

If you feel you are the victim of identity theft as a result of your password being compromised, read more here.