With the worst passwords of 2019 now revealed, and technology topping many festive wish lists, a new study assessed the effectiveness of password meters that people are likely to use or encounter on a regular basis.

However, the ‘inconsistent and misleading’ advice offered on some of the world’s most popular websites could actually be doing more harm than good, according to new research.

A study by the University of Plymouth assessed the effectiveness of 16 password meters that people are likely to use or encounter on a regular basis.

The main focus was dedicated password meter websites, but the study also sought to assess those embedded in some common online services (including Dropbox and Reddit) and those found as standard on some of our devices.

Published in Computer Fraud and Security, the research says there is a clear level of variation in the advice offered across the different websites.

And while some meters do effectively steer users towards more secure account passwords, some will not pick them up when they try to use ‘abc123’, ‘qwertyuiop’ and ‘iloveyou’ — all listed this week among the worst passwords of 2019.

Story Source: Materials provided by University of Plymouth. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.