Over 327,000 hacked passwords worldwide in 2022 contained references to Taylor Swift or Bad Bunny

Over 327,000 passwords hacked using terms related to Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny

If one of your passwords contains references to Taylor Swift or Bad Bunny , you may need to reset it . In fact, terms involving the two singers are among the most hacked passwords of 2022, according to a report by SpyCloud, a cybersecurity data analytics firm .

Over 327,000 passwords that made various accounts vulnerable to hackers in 2022 were related to Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny . In fact, we often use references to our favorite pop culture characters when creating our passwords, but this could jeopardize our information.

For example, what tops the music charts also tops the list of exposed passwords, according to SpyCloud . Taylor Swift ‘s highly anticipated tenth album Midnights has indeed caused many users to use passwords such as “ taylor “, “ swiftie ” and “ midnights “. Connected instead to Bad Bunny we find passwords like “ benito ” and “ me porto bonito ”.

The list of most common exposed passwords associated with government emails is also cause for concern. Suffice it to say that the first three most used in the world are 123456 , 12345678 and password .

But not only that, “ As expected, the most recovered popular passwords also included russia/russia war, ukraine/ukraine war, and trump ,” the report said.

And you? Do you use too simple passwords related to the world of pop culture or Taylor Swift ? Maybe then it’s time to change them, paying attention to hackers!

Music streaming giant Spotify victim of potentially compromised over 300,000 login credentials. The password reset request has already been sent to the users involved.

Serious security problem for Spotify, the multimedia streaming corporation with 320 million active users per month . A fraction of this army of listeners recently received a password change request , a move justified by the compromise of an external database not directly controlled by Spotify.

The existence of the database in question was verified by vpnMentor last summer, when researchers discovered a huge 72 gigabyte Elasticsearch archive containing 380 million records. More than 300,000 of these records corresponded to users of Spotify , a mass of data used for attacks based on the reuse of passwords by users ( credential stuffing ).

The existence of the compromised database was immediately communicated to Spotify, and the Swedish corporation should have already informed the users involved, forcing them to change their password . A precautionary measure of security, essentially superfluous in cases where users had put into practice good opsec rules by using a different password for each network service.

And it is precisely the users who are responsible for the new, potential network threat and the consequent password reset required by Spotify. The nefarious habit of reusing the password for more than one site or Web service is one of the worst things that can happen to the security of data and accounts.

The most popular passwords of 2020: an endless nightmare

Also in 2020, as in past years, the most used passwords by users represent one of the worst nightmares for companies and system administrators.

If the worst passwords of 2019 were a real horror , the most popular passwords of 2020 are further confirmation that cybersecurity is a very long-term goal. Perhaps even impossible to achieve.

Even in 2020, as in 2019 and in the years before that, the most common passwords are those that crack within seconds or even less time. To put together the updated list is NordPass , a company that specializes in the secure and multi-platform management of hacker-proof passwords.

According to NordPass, the trio of most used passwords for the year that is coming to a close includes 123456 , 123456789 and picture1 , with the first two growing in popularity and the third as a new entry. The infamous column of passwords of 2020 then includes the mythical password (a split second for the crack), 12345678 , 111111 and other assorted monstrosities to follow.

NordPass provides some common-sense advice for creating secure passwords, a worthy practice that we believe should be left in the hands of those who have always been involved in this kind of sector. The alternative is obviously to use an external password manager like the one from NordPass, or perhaps one of the many free and open source alternatives available on the market.

Disney unveiled the first “real” lightsaber

Josh D’Amaro, president of Disney parks, has introduced the first “true” retractable lightsaber, but what is the truth? Here is the video

Disney presents a “real” lightsaber, but it’s not what it seems

Disney Parks and Experiences President Josh D’Amaro gave a presentation at SXSW with a focus on “ The Art & Science of Disney Parks Storytelling ”. During the event he showed up on stage with a real lightsaber .

In fact, D’Amaro brandished the hilt of a lightsaber that appears to all intents and purposes real . At the push of a button, a very realistic-looking blue lightsaber blade came out.

“ I have the most beautiful job in the world “, announced D’Amaro. “I am holding a real lightsaber.”

The video posted online captured the moment and the collective gasp of the audience followed by applause.

Ok, agora eu quero um lightsaber desses! 😱
Uma das surpresas do aguardado keynote de Josh D’Amaro, Disney Parks, Experiences & Products Chairman, aqui na @sxsw ! pic.twitter.com/hHNYe49PXk

— Ivan Costa (@Ivan_Costa) March 11, 2023

D’Amaro explained that he was holding one of the lightsabers used aboard Disney’s ultra-expensive Galactic Starcruiser experience. However the video of those lightsabers shows them as a tube protruding from the hilt, not retractable. Instead D’Amaro seems to be holding a hilt from which a laser jet comes out .

To be clear: This isn’t the first time Disney has shown off this new retractable lightsaber that will be used by some actors at its parks and attractions. But compared to previous screenings, this time D’Amaro was able to swing it and turn it off and on multiple times.

According to online reports , the patent describes the object as consisting of two lengthwise cut plastic cylinders extended and retracted to form the blade, hidden within the hilt.

While we may never own a real lightsaber, we can console ourselves by watching movies, TV series, and playing games from the Star Wars universe, such as the upcoming Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.

Src: pcprofessionale.it