The worst passwords for being cracked have just been announced, and it’s time to make some changes if yours appears on the list.
With numerous online accounts to manage, it’s no surprise that many of us opt for easy-to-remember passwords. Sadly, falling into the trap of using codes that are too simple or weak can leave accounts vulnerable to attack from cybercriminals.
Despite numerous warnings, it still seems that some continue to use passwords that can be cracked in seconds, and if you think your security isn’t up to scratch, it’s time to make some urgent changes.
In a bid to show what not to do, the team at NordPass has revealed some of the most commonly used passwords in the UK.
Incredibly, it appears some of us are using codes including “admin”, “123456” and even “password”.
Here is the top 10 worst password list according to NordPass
1. admin
2. 123456
3. password
4. 12345678
5. 123456789
6. Password1
7. Password
8. 12345
9. Lennon11
10. 1234567890
Now, you might be thinking that it’s manily older people making these password errors but that’s not the case. According to NordPass, password quality is equally poor across all generational groups.
Researchers found a striking uniformity in vulnerability. For every age bracket, “12345” and “123456” consistently emerge as the top choices.
One positive change this year is that it seems more people are mixing up their codes and using symbols and capital letters. This improves security and makes it harder for codes to be cracked.
However, NordPass does say that popular passwords now include “P@ssw0rd,” “Admin@123,” or “Abcd@1234″ which are not complicated enough and still too easy to crack.
If you are looking to make things more secure, try and pick a complicated word and add plenty of symbols, capital letters and numbers into it.
Speaking about the new research, Karolis Arbaciauskas, head of product at NordPass said: “Generally speaking, despite all efforts in cybersecurity education and digital awareness over the years, data reveals only minor improvements in password hygiene.
“The world is slowly moving towards passkeys — a new passwordless authentication method based on biometric data — but in the interim, until passkeys become ubiquitous, strong passwords are very important. Especially since around 80% of data breaches are caused by compromised, weak, and reused passwords, and criminals intensify their attacks till they can.”
