Idaho Hacker Alert: If These Are Your Work Passwords, Change Them Right Now

Every time you get the “Password/Account Expiration Notification” email at work, you roll your eyes. You’ll spend way too long coming up with a new password that matches the scroll of special requirements it needs to meet your organization’s cyber security standards. 

The minute you click save, it’s going to log you out of everything. Better have your phone nearby, because you’re not getting back in without going through 2FA. While it’s annoying, there’s a reason your company makes you jump through those hoops. 

READ MORE: Top 50 Most Hackable ATM PINS Used in Idaho

If a hacker can get their hands on a password, the damage can be instant and widespread. Our station learned that the hard way years ago! My show started an hour later than my coworkers, so I was listening to them on the way in. It was April Fool’s Day, so when I heard them talking about how computers weren’t responding and that they had no control of their station, I figured it was some lame prank. 

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Especially when the computer in my studio was perfectly fine…for all of 30 minutes. Next thing I knew, the screen was blank and the music stopped. When you work in radio, dead air is literally the worst sound in the world. Our engineer scrambled to get something on the air, but I could tell it wasn’t the music I’d scheduled for my morning show. 

People who are way smarter than me worked for days to untangle the mess. No one at my pay grade ever found out exactly where the hack started. I do, however, know that they got a lot more serious about our passwords afterward! 

Our friends at Channel 2/KBOI-TV went through something similar two years later. You may remember Roland Steadham using an easel and markers to give his forecast because he couldn’t access his normal graphics because of a cyber security incident.

Here’s the thing about hackers in 2025. They don’t have to come up with some elaborate hack you’d see in the movies. They just have to guess a weak, overused password that someone on the inside thought was good enough! 

The Most Common Workplace Passwords in 2025

That’s why NordPass has released a list of the 20 most common workplace passwords in the United States. It's got some glaring difference from the personal password list we shared earlier this year.

Their cyber security experts say that every single one of them can be cracked in less than ONE second. In the event that your organization actually accepted one of these weak passwords, you should change it ASAP! 

It’s not just your email and your files at risk. It can jeopardize your entire company!

Author's Note: A big thanks to Eileen H. in Meridian for bringing it to our attention that if you're reading this story on Newsbreak, the app is NOT showing you the gallery of 20 passwords. Please visit our website HERE if you're unable to see the passwords.