Music fans have been warned to stay vigilant after it emerged that Blink 182, Foo Fighters and Metallica have inspired some of the world’s most commonly hacked passwords.
All three bands featured in the “global password risk list,” which was compiled by the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre to reveal the 100,000 most vulnerable passwords in operation.
While Blink–182 emerged as the most vulnerable password to feature a musical act, Foo Fighters and Metallica were also present too.
Other notable names included Green Day, Slipknot, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Sum 41 and Iron Maiden.
Responding on Twitter, Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus wrote: “You guys”, and shared a link to the list.
you guys. https://t.co/Rq4VJ6s9LV
— thnx fr th gvng (@markhoppus) April 22, 2019
“We understand that cyber security can feel daunting to a lot of people, but the NCSC has published lots of easily applicable advice to make you much less vulnerable,” Dr. Ian Levy, NCSC’s technical director, said in a statement.
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“Password re-use is a major risk that can be avoided – nobody should protect sensitive data with something that can be guessed, like their first name, local football team or favourite band. Using hard-to-guess passwords is a strong first step and we recommend combining three random but memorable words. Be creative and use words memorable to you, so people can’t guess your password.”
Meanwhile, it’s expected that Blink-182 will return with a new record, after recent studio footage emerged of Travis Barker laying down a drum track.