Password Security in Focus: Telekom Warns Against Oversimplified Codes

In the digital world, choosing secure passwords remains one of the cornerstones of personal cybersecurity. A recent alert from Deutsche Telekom reveals alarming negligence: Too many users resort to overly simple and thus insecure passwords. From football club mottos to birth years – the lack of creativity in the creation of complex keycodes leaves the door wide open for cybercriminals. After intensive monitoring of the cybersecurity landscape and tracking confidential customer data in the shadowy areas of the internet, Telekom notes that football-related passwords like "Schalke04" or "Borussia" are risky favorites. Thomas Tschersich, Head of Security at Telekom, expresses his concern about the ongoing practice of German internet users choosing predictable and easy-to-guess passwords. According to Tschersich, it is all too easy to generate thousands of active accesses by combining widely used passwords such as "Password1" or Bundesliga team names with email addresses. Telekom urges a change in awareness and appeals to users to craft their digital keys with greater care. Interestingly, influences from the football world are also reflected in the choice of passwords: "Bayer04Lev" is gaining followers, while "FCBayern" – much like in the real sports world – is losing popularity. Surprisingly, even passwords that appear complex, like "1q2w3e4r," do not offer effective protection since they are based on a simple keyboard pattern. Classic first names without any additional characters are also frequently used – a potential sign of long-unchanged and thus risky passwords among older users. Societally, this situation underscores the need to deepen knowledge about cybersecurity and raise awareness of the importance of strong authentication data. Telekom and security experts continuously stress how crucial the use of complex passwords – including numbers, letters, and special characters – is. The recent publication from the magenta giant should be a reason to re-evaluate one's own digital lock and, if necessary, replace it with a sturdier one.