Admin December 2, 2024
“123456” is the most commonly used password. The password has taken the number one slot five out of six years NordPass has conducted its most common password study.
How to manage your passwords safely
Manage your passwords safely with these tech tips.
ProblemSolved, USA TODAY
Bank accounts, social media profiles, streaming platforms and even smart refrigerators require passwords these days. Keeping track of a laundry list of passwords can be difficult and so can be creating new, unique ones.
For the sixth year, NordPass, an online password manager, has released a list of the 200 most common passwords − ones that should be avoided due to how easy they are to “crack,” or hack.
To create its list, NordPass collaborated with partner NordSteller, a threat exposure management platform. The two platforms analyzed 2.5 terabytes of data from 44 countries, extracted from publicly-available sources, including those on the dark web. NordPass and NordStellar analyzed passwords stolen by malware or exposed in data leaks. (No personal information was analyzed for the study.)
Here are the top 50 most common passwords
Across all 44 countries surveyed, the chart below shows the top 50 most common passwords, many of which can be hacked in less than one second.
Unable to see the chart in your browser? Visit https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/20357372/.
Is your password ‘123456’? You should probably consider changing it
According to NordPass, the password “123456” has been the number one most common password five out of six years it has conducted its study. The six-digit, all-number password is even more popular than the classic, “password.”
How to create a strong password
NordPass encourages online users to create passwords that are at least 20 characters long, even if a platform only requires an eight-character password.
Passwords should be a mix of upper and lowercase letters, numbers and special symbols, such as “%,” “!” and “@.” Stray away from using easily guessable information like names, birthdays and common words.
Never reuse passwords either.
What’s the best way to save passwords?
Password managers, like NordPass, are the best tools for saving passwords, according to the United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Centre. Password managers store passwords safely on a mobile device or computer. Once a user has logged into a password manager, it will generate and remember all passwords for online accounts.
Many web browsers will offer to save passwords for users. This is safe to do, too, as long as it is on a personal device.
Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com.
