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BlackBerry to ban Batman, Tigger and 104 other passwords

RIM is gearing up to launch what they hope will be a huge boost to the struggling BlackBerry with the launch of BlackBerry OS 10 on January 30. But if you're planning on using a BlackBerry once the new OS launches, you might need to reconsider that password you've been using for ages.

A blog on Network World (shared via Reddit) explains that BlackBerry has blacklisted 106 words which it deems to be unsecure. Based on the data RIM has collected, the most common (and therefore least secure) passwords aren't going to be available to users once BlackBerry OS 10 hits.

[ Related: The 25 most popular (i.e. worst) passwords of 2012 ]

According to a RIM spokesperson, the ban on the 106 words won't be limited to new BB10 devices, either. Any device with a BlackBerry ID will be impacted by this change.

What's interesting about this list is the apparent prejudice against fictional and cartoon characters — although in reality, the passwords aren't banned because RIM has a prejudice against fans of Beavis and Butthead or Calvin and Hobbes, it's because the character names are so widely used, they're a security hazard.

Winnie-the-Pooh characters seemed to be a very popular choice with BlackBerry users, as Eeyore, Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet and Poohbear all made the list. Other fictional character names on the list include Mickey, Calvin, Butthead, Gandalf, Merlin and Snoopy.

BlackBerry's Canadian roots show through this list, too: Canada, hockey and Molson are all included.

[ More Right Click: Samsung Galaxy S IV smartphone rumoured to be coming with 'unbreakable' screen ]

Here's the full list of prohibited passwords for BlackBerry ID, via Rapid Berry (note, some use strong language):

1=123456

2=12345678

3=123abc

4=a1b2c3

5=aaaaaa

6=abc123

7=abc123

8=abcdef

9=amanda

10=andrew

11=angel

12=asdfgh

13=august

14=avalon

15=bandit

16=barney

17=baseball

18=batman

19=biteme

20=brandy

21=buster

22=butthead

23=calvin

24=canada

25=changeme

26=chelsea

27=coffee

28=computer

29=cowboy

30=diamond

31=donald

32=dorothy

33=dragon

34=eeyore

35=falcon

36=fishing

37=football

38=freedom

39=fuckme

40=fuckyou

41=gandalf

42=george

43=harley

44=hello

45=helpme

46=hockey

47=iloveyou

48=internet

49=jennifer

50=jonathan

51=jordan

52=letmein

53=maggie

54=marina

55=master

56=matthew

57=merlin

58=michael

59=michelle

60=mickey

61=mike

62=miller

63=molson

64=Monday

65=monday

66=monkey

67=mustang

68=natasha

69=ncc1701

70=newpass

71=newyork

72=pamela

73=password

74=patrick

75=pepper

76=piglet

77=poohbear

78=pookie

79=princess

80=qwerty

81=rabbit

82=rachel

83=ranger

84=rocket

85=secret

86=service

87=shadow

88=snoopy

89=soccer

90=sparky

91=spring

92=steven

93=success

94=summer

95=sunshine

96=thomas

97=tigger

98=trustno1

99=victoria

100=whatever

101=wizard

102=zapata

103=blackberry

104=blackberryid

105=bbidentity

106=playbook

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