Security roundup: Minecraft players urged to change passwords after data leak

This week we look at Minecraft’s data leak, 2014’s most used passwords, how hacking has made the headlines over the past few years, and more.

Minecraft players have been urged to change their passwords after the game’s user data was leaked online.

Around 1,800 users have had their emails and passwords published online in plain-text format.

Some of those gamers may want to check out SplashData’s list of 2014’s worst passwords, and make sure they avoid them.

SplashData advises internet users to use passwords of eight characters or more, with mixed types of characters, avoid using the same username and password for multiple sites, and use a password manager.

Here are the top 25 words passwords of 2014, along with how they’ve moved around since 2013:

1. 123456 (Unchanged from 2013)
2. password (Unchanged)
3. 12345 (Up 17)
4. 12345678 (Down 1)
5. qwerty (Down 1)
6. 1234567890 (Unchanged)
7. 1234 (Up 9)
8. baseball (New)
9. dragon (New)
10. football (New)
11. 1234567 (Down 4)
12. monkey (Up 5)
13. letmein (Up 1)
14. abc123 (Down 9)
15. 111111 (Down 8)
16. mustang (New)
17. access (New)
18. shadow (Unchanged)
19. master (New)
20. michael (New)
21. superman (New)
22. 696969 (New)
23. 123123 (Down 12)
24. batman (New)
25. trustno1 (Down 1)

Meanwhile, F-Secure has found that of the 100 most popular URLs in the world, only 15 per cent are accessed directly by humans.

The other 85 per cent are third-party sites that are accessed behind the scenes of your browsing session, by the sites you visit.

In other news, Imprima has produced an infographic offering insight into how hacking has made the headlines over the past few years, and its cost to the global economy. Check it out below.