Sentencing Over Contaminated Drug Case Possibly Not the End

Glenn Chin, of the Massachusetts-based New England Compounding Center, was sentenced to eight years in prison for his connection to contaminated drugs that killed 76 people and sickened more than 800.

Federal prosecutors had attempted to see Chin convicted of the second-degree murder of 25 people who received tainted steroid shots from his facility. They based their allegations on his negligence and knowledge of the contaminated conditions of the so-called clean rooms at the facility. However, In October 2017, he was cleared of the murder charges and charged with mail fraud and racketeering, or fraudulent and dishonest business dealings, instead.

“If I had known the drugs were tainted, I would have never sent the drugs out,” he said. “I hope you will believe me when I say I am truly sorry,” Chin said in a statement to the court during sentencing.

The eight years he received were far below the possible life-sentence that prosecutors had been fighting for.

“The fungal meningitis outbreak that resulted from Chin’s and his co-defendants’ fraudulent criminal conduct was an unprecedented public health crisis in our nation’s history,” Assistant US Attorney Amanda Strachan wrote in her sentencing memo. “His crimes stole and ruined countless lives, and the pain he caused for hundreds has no foreseeable end.”

Many victims and their families spoke out against Chin. Strachan relayed how one victim’s daughter said her mother’s scream of pain could be heard from the floors below when she visited her in the hospital.

“That’s the sound that she has in her head when she thinks about her mother’s death,” Strachan said. “It’s the sound made by Glenn Chin’s conduct.”

After the sentencing, many victims told news media that they were disappointed that both Chin and his supervisor Barry Cadden were not dealt with more harshly by the criminal courts.

“I want somebody in there blamed for the deaths,” Willard Mazure, Jr., of Michigan, told ABC News. “We’ve got 80 people dead, and nobody is responsible.”

But, as in our blog on the topic in December, just because neither were convicted in criminal court doesn’t necessarily mean that they won’t be held accountable for the deaths of those victims.

O.J. Simpson was famously acquitted of the murder charges for his wife. However, he was later held accountable to the tune of $33.5 million in damages to the victims’ families in civil court. So, while a criminal court could not prove Simpson’s guilt in a murder charge, a civil court could charge him based on its findings that it was more likely than not that he caused the death of his wife and her friend.

The same could be true for the victims of the NECC meningitis outbreak, to some degree.

 

Lawsuits Already Filed

In 2012, NECC was facing more than 400 lawsuits from patients who received the tainted steroid injections. It was that same year that they filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Massachusetts district bankruptcy court. The decision, they said, was so that they could set up a “compensation fund” for the victims as well as payout to creditors.

Later, $200 million was placed in the compensation fund. It was believed that roughly 3,300 victims qualified for compensation from the fund.

 

Allegations

At least three types of claims face NECC, and possibly even Cadden and Chin after the trial;

• Wrongful Death Lawsuit
• Product Defect
• Medical Malpractice

 

Wrongful Death

When a person’s death is the result of poor design, a manufacturing defect or a failure to provide adequate instructions or warnings, those responsible may be held accountable via a wrongful death case. Compensation can be sought by the victim’s spouse and children which can include money for medical costs prior to death, funeral and burial expenses, lost wages, loss of companionship and pain and suffering.

 

Product Defect

The facility was shuttered by the FDA after it was found out for compounding pharmaceuticals on a mass-scale. The facility had previously been approved to mix drugs on an individual basis, but federal regulators found them to be shipping mass-produced mixtures across the United States. A significant number of which were tainted.

The FDA issued a recall for a number of products following their investigation, which could lead to product defect cases.

 

Medical Malpractice

The concept of medical malpractice is relatively simple: If a patient suffered harm due to a medical professional failing to reasonably perform his or her duties, the patient has the right to file a lawsuit to recover resulting damages. Medical malpractice can include failure to recognize or diagnose, inadequate sterilization or cleanliness that contributes to infection, misdiagnosis, or prescribing wrong or dangerous drugs.

At the time of the investigation, lawsuits were also including the doctors and hospital staff of victims. Since the FDA had notified medical personnel of the recalls and the dangers, they were also advised to follow up with any patients who may have received the tainted drugs.

Though no cases of illness were reported in Massachusetts, the case does go to show the far-reaching ramifications of negligence, as well as the difference between criminal and civil law when it comes to compensation for victims and their families.

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Ski Vacation Rental Liability

It’s been a great winter with New Englanders reveling in the fresh powder on Mount Snow, the Berkshire Mountains in Mass, and other peaks throughout the region. Often times, this means renting a room, reserving a bed at a B&B, or searching home sharing sites like Airbnb and HomeAway.

For those in the region with a condominium or a second home, it can be tempting to net some extra cash through this season by setting up short-term lease agreements with guests.  

 

Liability Insurance and Short-term Leases

Liability insurance protects a homeowner financially if someone is injured on their property. Most personal injury and property damage cases can be handled by filing a claim against the at-fault party, helping the victim receive compensation for their medical bills, treatment, and property damage.

However, when dealing with a second home, insurance companies may not always be as easy to work with. With the surge of short-term leases through home sharing services, many insurance companies are making it very clear that they will not cover events if they feel the home is being used as a commercial venture.

“That term ‘sharing’ can cut two ways. What if you or a family member is injured while staying in someone else’s home? What if your guest causes a fire or other serious damage while staying in your home? Who will ‘share’ in the expenses? Who will file an insurance claim — and will either party be covered,” asked an article in USA Today. “The answers to those types of questions remain works in progress.”

Because of that assumed ambiguity, the Insurance Information Institute suggested caution.

“Before you consider renting out your home, your guest room—or even your couch—first contact your insurance professional so you fully understand the financial risks and can take the proper precautions,” they said. “Peer-to-peer home sharing opportunities such as Airbnb can be a great way to bring in extra money and are increasingly popular; however, they can also leave you financially vulnerable.”

Unlike some other states, Massachusetts does not have particular laws on home sharing and insurance, though legislation was suggested in 2017 to pursue higher taxes and regulate services like HomeAway and Airbnb. Santa Monica, California, for example, added strict regulations that included homeowners registering for a business license and a 14% hotel tax if they used home-sharing services.

“The city estimated this would eliminate about 80% of peer-to-peer rentals,” USA Today reported.

 

What Can Be Done

Since insurance companies may say that the rental of the couch, bed or home is a commercial venture, it may not be covered under a typical homeowner insurance policy. Liability lawsuits can be very expensive.

Say a guest trips on the rug and breaks a wrist, the treadmill inside the home breaks while they are using it and they are hurt, or if there is a fire, a disaster, or another type of personal injury. They can sue. They can also win.

With more regulations cropping up around the US, both Airbnb and HomeAway have offered their own insurance plans. Airbnb offers Host Protection Insurance which offers a $1 million coverage automatically to every listing and they say it acts as primary insurance over homeowners insurance whenever the home is being rented. They also offer a program that covers property damage for the host if a guest breaks something. However, in both cases, there are things they don’t cover (such as vehicles striking a house, purposeful injury as opposed to an accident, and theft.)

HomeAway offers a discounted insurance plan for property damage called HomeAway Assure, which partners with big-name insurance companies to cover some liability.

“Obtaining details and even specific prices online can be difficult, and experts warn there are many caveats and exclusions, so you may want to consider such direct-buy products for secondary rather than primary coverage,” warned USA Today.

 

When Renting Condos

Condo rentals are a very common practice as well and even predate home-sharing services. Though condo-owners pay dues to the condo association to cover maintenance of outdoor and common areas, the association’s liability insurance usually stops at the door.

It is advisable to carry condo liability insurance.

 

Reduce Liability

In addition to keeping an updated insurance policy, one that the homeowner is sure is covering any home sharing services or condominium rentals, it’s also important to reduce liability in the first place.

Having a legal contract, understanding the fine print, and minimizing dangers in the home while it is being used are all vital to reducing liability and the legal headache down the road.

Further Reading:

 

• Insurance Information Institute – Peer to Peer Home Rental : Understand the implications of renting your home to strangers.

 

• Allstate – What is Condo Liability

 

• USA Today – Vacation Rental Insurance

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New Years Resolutions For an Injury Free Year

Every year, millions of Americans set New Year’s resolutions to have a healthier, safer, more fulfilling year. And every year, most of them don’t last more than a few weeks. But, if you’re going to keep any New Year’s resolutions, be sure to keep these four in 2018.

 

Don’t Allow Distractions When Driving

“Distracted driving is any activity that diverts attention from driving, including talking or texting on your phone, eating and drinking, fiddling with the stereo, entertainment or navigation system—anything that takes your attention away from the task of safe driving,” says Mass.gov, the Massachusetts state website.

391,000 traffic injuries were blamed on Distracted Driving in a 2015 study and another 3,477 were killed, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“You cannot drive safely unless the task of driving has your full attention. Any non-driving activity you engage in is a potential distraction and increases your risk of crashing,” added Mass.gov.

This, of course, includes texting while driving. Each year, cellphones account for 1.1 million crashes, with the National Safety Council (NSC) estimating that a “minimum of 3 percent” of those accidents involved texting.

Even as recently as November 2017, Governor Charlie Baker of Massachusetts has been calling for a stricter law that restricts the use of cell phones to hands-free devices.

The current proposal facing the Massachusetts legislature would make touching cell phones for anything other than swiping it to answer or end a call illegal. This could include using your GPS, holding the phone near the head or on the lap, and of course, texting.

In 2018, resolve to keep focused on the road and the dangers on it.

 

Don’t Drink and Drive

Drunk driving is a dangerous and often fatal decision. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that in 2016, there was an alcohol-impaired traffic fatality every 50 minutes. That was 10,497 deaths in one year or 28 percent of all crash fatalities.

Driving while impaired doesn’t just hurt the driver, but also pedestrians, innocent other drivers, and children.

In 2018, resolve to never drink and drive.

 

Stop at All Red Lights

A recent study found that between 1992-1998 nearly 6,000 people died from red light running, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (III). More than half of these deaths were pedestrians and occupants of other vehicles.  The number injured in that same time period was nearly 1.5 million people.

All from running a red light.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety estimates that approximately 800 people die annually from red-light running.

In 2018, resolve to never run a red light.

 

Use The Turn Signal

Also known as the “blinker” or the “turning indicator,” the turn signal has been a standard car feature since the 1940s. However, a recent study by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) says that not using a turn signal accounts for nearly 2 million accidents a year.

“The study finds drivers across the country don’t use their turn signals nearly half of the time when changing lanes, and people fail to signal a quarter of the time when making a turn. In all, 750 billion times a year,” reported CBS.

“Even more disturbing than the statistics were the reasons,” adds Mark Vallet of CarInsurnance.com “42 percent of the signal-avoiders said they didn’t have time; 23 percent admitted they were just too lazy.”

Aside from the accidents and potential injury – which should be the main takeaway here – each of these four points is also key reasons why a personal injury or property damage claim could be won or lost if the driver is found to have been involved in any of these activities.

So, for a safer, healthier, and liability-free 2018, resolve not to drive distracted, text, run a red light or fail to use a turn signal.

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Surviving Northeast Winters

If you’ve lived in the Northeast long enough, you know the winter season can be tough. While winter weather can be lovely to look at, it can be treacherous to live through. Roads and sidewalks can be slick and slippery, and it takes a bit more preparation, care, and caution to traverse the winter landscape. In order to stay safe in the winter weather, it’s essential to take your time.

Taking your time can ensure that you are able to make the best decisions during inclement weather. If you’re not running from one location to the next, you’ll have the ability to dress appropriately for the weather, plan your trip based on the predicted safest route, and when you’re walking, look down and choose your steps wisely. As with most things in life, a proper strategy can help to avoid pitfalls that may be in your way. The best method to planning an effective strategy? Taking the time to do it right.

Our winter has been eventful so far; strong winds and cold temperatures accompanying blizzards have contributed to poor conditions.

Through the rest of the winter, and whenever there’s inclement weather throughout the year, take your time and move safely. We know it’s not always possible to stay safe during inclement weather. If you, a family member or friend have been injured because of a slip-and-fall or auto accident, please call us today 978.474.8670 for your free consultation – Let us help.

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“Bomb Cyclone” Blasts New England – Vigilance is Vital to Avoid Liability

Storms the likes of the recent “bomb cyclone” are not news to true New Englanders, who have dealt with these sorts of storms as a way of life. However, that’s not to understate the dangers involved – especially as the storm left millions without power from Virginia up to Maine, submerged cars in winter tidal waves, toppled countless trees, and canceled nearly 5,000 flights.

In Boston, one of the highest tides on record flooded a subway station near the New England Aquarium. The previous record has gone on unbroken since the blizzard of 1978 but was tied by the bomb cyclone storm. Nearby, Quincy Police had reported rescuing more than 20 people from cars due to flood waters and posted photos on Twitter with the hashtag #dontdrownturnaround to warn off other motorists.
Here on the blog, we’ve talked about winter driving and safety before when it comes to preparing for natural disasters such as what New England has just experienced. (see box – “Further Reading”)

This blog will focus on the host of personal injury liability situations that can arise from such storms.

Sidewalk Safety

Slippery sidewalks can pose a real problem. Particularly this most recent storm that covered steps and sidewalks with thick, slick icy sheets.

Most New England states have laws regarding sidewalks and the responsibility on the part of both business owners and personal property owners. For example, in Boston, property owners have “up to three hours after it stopped snowing” to clear sidewalks and curb ramps. If snowfall came overnight, the requirement is extended to within 3 hours after sunrise. This is also the case in regard to snow buildup due to snow-plows.
“Simply put, we’re looking for an accessible path of travel. While the rule is three hours, we try to be reasonable for deciding when we start the clock,” says Boston’s website. “Our goal isn’t to fine you. We just want people — especially youth and seniors — to be able to get around safely.

Failure to do so can lead to a $200 fine for commercial properties, $100 for residential properties with more than 16 units, or $50 for residential properties with less than 16 units. There is also a fine for pushing the snow or ice into the road.

Slip and fall injuries are massively expensive, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimating 800,000 falls annually that cost upwards of $31 million in medical costs. The CDC also says falls are the leading cause of death and injury in older Americans.

Fallen Trees

The kind of ice-buildup that was possible from the storm, as well as New England’s experience with ice storms such as the one in 2008, can cause trees to fall. Falling trees that go into the road or onto a neighbor’s property causing damage can open the homeowner to a charge of liability.
Massachusetts sees trees on a homeowner’s property as belonging to the homeowner. Any damage it causes can be directly tied to the homeowner.

Car Accidents

Many New Englanders are skilled winter motorists. “But when 17 percent of all vehicle crashes occur during winter conditions, it’s clear that we could all use a refresher when it comes to making our way through a winter wonderland,” warned the National Highway Traffic Safety Association.

See our blog on Winter Driving Safety for an infographic with tips on icy road conditions.

Besides the understandable dangers posed by icy roads, it should also be noted that sub-zero temperatures after an accident can prove catastrophic. The 15 below Fahrenheit temperatures, coupled with hurricane-force winds of up to 70 miles per hour, put anyone in the elements at risk for frostbite in just moments. After an accident, it’s advised to turn off the car if there has been damage. This means that in sub-zero temperatures, further injuries such as a frostbite or hypothermia can set in.

Having an emergency kit in the car with a thermal blanket can go a long way, as can being aware of icy sidewalks and road surfaces when outside the car.

While it’s unlikely that another bomb cyclone will blast the Northeast this season, doing your best to avoid personal injury and premises liability situations in the face of such natural disasters is the best course of action.

Further Reading
• Be Prepared for New England’s Natural Disasters
• How to File a Claim After a Natural Disaster
• Icy Road Driving Tips

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Massachusetts Deemed “Healthiest State in the Nation” Despite 69% Increase in Drug Related Deaths

For the first time in five years, Hawaii was not ranked the “#1 Healthiest State in America”. Instead, that honor went to Massachusetts.

The Bay State beat out other U.S. states based on its low percentage of uninsured residents, low prevalence of obesity, a decrease of children living in poverty and for having the highest concentration of mental health providers. The marks were part of a nationwide report by the American Public Health Association, a Washington, D.C.-based organization for public health professionals.

This study was the 28th annual report put out by the organization. It researches 35 measures for “policy, clinical care, behaviors, community and environment, and outcomes to measure the progress of individual states and identify emerging health trends.”

The New England states Vermont and Connecticut also landed in the Top 5 at third and fifth place respectively. Across the board, Massachusetts saw progress between 2016 to 2017, when it was ranked second behind Hawaii.

“Massachusetts has steadily progressed from No. 11 in 1990 to No. 4 in 2012,” the report stated.
Commenting on the report in a Boston Globe story, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker said that the report “highlights the notable progress that our state is making to improve the health and well-being of every individual living in the Commonwealth”

For the Association “health” meant more than just not being sick. Their study defines it as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”

Improvements Across the Board

• High Concentration of Healthcare Providers
• 547.3 per 100,000 population (the highest in the study)
• More than 200 primary care physicians per 100,000
• More than 80 dentists per 100,000
• Lowest percentage of uninsured at 2.7 percent of the population
• 25 percent decrease in smoking prevalence over the past five years
• 38 percent decrease over two years of children in poverty in the state

Healthiest State Almost the Deadliest State Too

The study noted, however, that the mortality rate in the country as a whole is on the rise, with more and more people dying “premature deaths.”

“This recent rise is concerning, particularly after the premature death rate declined dramatically by 20 percent from 1990 to 2015,” the study said.

Massachusetts ranks second in increases in drug-related deaths at 69 percent – an additional 8.1 deaths per 100,000 population. This likely wouldn’t come as a surprise to Massachusetts residents, though, as the state grabbed headlines in February 2017 as the Department of Public Health reported that 2,000 people were believed to have died from opioid overdoses in 2016 alone.

“Opioids killed or were suspected of killing five times more people than died in car crashes,” the Boston Globe reported then.

Fentanyl, an opioid that is used by doctors as a pain medication that can also be mixed with other medications to work as an anesthetic, was blamed as the main culprit. The Globe reported that a synthetic fentanyl is often mixed with heroin or sold as an alternative, but that it is also 50-100 times more powerful than heroin on its own.

Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner Dr. Monica Bharel told the Boston Globe that the findings are “not unexpected” and that “she said she derives hope from the multifaceted efforts the state has put forth to cope with the problem, including restrictions on opioid prescribing, adding 500 treatment beds, and a campaign against stigma.”

A July 2017 story followed a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) report that said that New England had “the highest rate of fentanyl-related deaths in the nation while creating a plague that the area’s top drug enforcement official describes as ‘like no other epidemic’ he’s ever seen.”

Not Just Street Drugs

Whereas a growing number of street drug-related deaths added to that statistic, overprescribing medication in Massachusetts has been highlighted as a problem as well.

A Boston doctor pleaded guilty in March 2017 to dispensing more than 1,100 oxycodone prescriptions a month. That’s more than what some of the largest hospitals prescribe in Massachusetts. One medical assistant of his was quoted as saying “only about 5 percent of his patients had legitimate medical conditions.”

However, the Boston Globe also reported that Massachusetts doctors were prescribing fewer pain medications by the middle of 2017.

We’ll have to see what the next report from the American Public Health Association finds in its 2018 report.

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How to Create Unique and Individual Passwords That You’ll Actually Remember

What recent security breaches can teach us about creating strong passwords

When the words historic and security breach are used side by side in one sentence, you know you should start worrying about the security of your personal data. Well, those who have a credit report – which is, according to some estimates, roughly 44% of the American population – certainly have serious reasons to be concerned over this issue now. On September 7 this year, Equifax – one of the leading consumer credit reporting agencies – announced that their security had been breached and that personal data of about 145 million of its American clients had been stolen. As a result of what has been called “one of the biggest data breaches in history” and “very possibly (…) the most severe of all” such events, cybercriminals obtained complete sets of very sensitive personal information that included full names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses, and, in some cases, driver license numbers. Although the Equifax breach is not exactly the biggest of its kind – attacks on Yahoo in 2013 and 2014 affected, in total, an estimated 1,5 billion users – it may likely turn out to be the most severe in the sense that it exposed most of the sensitive data that banks, insurance companies, and similar business use to confirm the identity of current clients and potential new consumers. This, in turn, means that for years to come, almost half of the American population will remain at a high risk of financial fraud and identity theft.

The security breach was made possible because, apparently, Equifax had failed to promptly patch a known web server vulnerability. This means that there was nothing individual clients could do, in this particular case, to protect their personal data and decrease the chance of being affected by the hackers’ malicious actions (which is one of the reasons why many victims are likely to sue – in fact, Equifax might be facing one of the biggest class actions suits in U.S. history, with one law firm reportedly seeking up to $70 billion in damages). Still, if there is one positive thing about security breaches, it’s that we can learn from them what an average user can do to ensure the security of their sensitive, personal information.

For example, earlier this year, a security firm Keeper published a report on the strength and reliability of most commonly used passwords based on the data made available in the aftermath of the major security breaches of 2016. Using external public data sources, the firm analyzed 10 million actual passwords. The results can be described by words such as alarming, dreadful, or depressing. The most popular password, chosen to protect the access to sensitive information and personal data by nearly 17% of users, is… 123456. That’s right, almost a fifth of all people who ever use a password are safeguarding their accounts with literally the first string of characters that comes to mind when you look at the keyboard.

The rest of the report is equally disquieting. Keeper goes on to point out that “four of the top 10 passwords on the list – and seven of the top 15 – are six characters or shorter”. This is a serious issue because modern brute-force cracking software – computer programs used by hackers to break passwords by trying all possible combinations – can decode passwords of such short length in mere seconds. Keeper also mentions that many “website operators are not enforcing password security best practices”, which means users are allowed to set passwords that are weak and they do so because short, uncomplicated passwords are simply easier to remember than long and random strings of characters.

But what exactly are some of those security best practices? What makes a difference between a weak password and a strong one? And how can you create a password that is both reliable and easy to remember? This week blog posts will offer a handful of practical advice on the issue.

Make it a Long One

The first characteristic of a good password is its length. As mentioned, six characters is way too few. On their “Account Help” page, Google advises users to set passwords that are “8 characters or longer”. The rule of thumb is, however, the longer – the better. According to some other sources as many as 12 to 14 characters is only a safe minimum.
Plain words are pretty good…
Which of the following passwords would you say is harder to crack: Tr0ub4dor&3 or correcthorsebatterystaple? You might be inclined to say – the former! After all, it seems so much more complicated. It uses an uncommon word as its base (troubadour), it features caps, letter-to-digit substitutions, a punctuation mark and a numeral; the other one is just four random words written without spaces. Yet, surprising though it may seem, a brute force password cracking software would take, on average, 3 days to guess the first one and 550 years to break the second one. In addition, if you use a mnemonic technique – like visualization or story-telling – the second one is much easier to remember than the first one. The only caveat is that the choice of words needs to be truly random. Those that come to your mind most readily probably won’t be random and are likely to be the same ones other people would think about too. This brings us to another piece of advice on password security:
…but don’t use a common phrase

A password based on a line from a famous movie, a poignant quote from your favorite novel or a Bible verse may seem like a good idea. After all, it’s relatively long and easy to remember. Unfortunately, it is not really your best shot at an uncrackable password. This is because a large number of users have been shown to use passwords of this sort which make it easier for hackers to crack them. Even if you add numbers or choose a variant that substitutes numbers for letters, such passwords can still be broken relatively fast. This is because hackers also use “dictionary attacks” where a password-guessing program relies on a dictionary of common words and phrases.

Don’t Reuse Your Passwords

Let’s say you have already come up with a strong, multi-character password that is easier to remember. You might be tempted to use the same password on all of the services that you use – from your Netflix account through email to your Internet banking service. However, you need to be aware that if only one of the web services you use ever gets hacked and your password becomes known to hackers, all of the other services protected by the same password are automatically compromised. For that reaso, each of your services should be protected by a unique password.

Use a Password Manager

A password manager is a computer program that helps you create strong passwords and securely store them in an encrypted database. If you use a password manager, instead of typing a different password in each service that requires it, you just type in the password to the manager which will then automatically fill your login information whenever it is needed.

Of course, password manager software and its database can also be compromised. Therefore, before making a decision whether to use a password manager or not, every user needs to personally analyze potential risks and benefits. Still, many experts agree that password managers are still one of the safest way to protect your sensitive information.

Use Two-Step Verification

If you enable two-step verification, whenever you log in to a service from a new device, a text message with a security code will be sent to your phone. You will be then prompted to enter that code after typing your password in order to obtain access to the service. Using two-step verification is one of the best ways to secure your personal data, sensitive information or money. If you have it enabled, even if hackers manage to get hold of your password, they won’t be able to make use of it if they don’t have access to your phone.
To conclude, we present the list of 15 most commonly used and, therefore, weakest passwords. If you use one of those on any of your services, you run a serious risk of having the security of your personal information and sensitive data compromised and you need to change it right away:

123456
123456789
qwerty
12345678
111111
1234567890
1234567
password
123123
987654321
qwertyuiop
mynoob
123321
666666
18atcskd2w

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