Using strong passwords for online accounts is an essential security measure to help protect your information. But the new list from NordPass shows that we're still a long way from everyone getting this important message.
The list of shame is topped by “123456”
NordPass recently released its annual list of the top 200 most common passwords.
The most common password was “123456”. This has been used over 3 million times in the data. It takes less than a second for a hacker to break into it, which is important for security.
In the top 10, other non-smart options like “password,” “qwerty123,” and “111111” were included. Some other options include “Tinkle,” “Monkey,” “Dragon,” and “iloveyou.”
Interestingly, the report organized passwords from 44 countries, and you can see the most popular choices for each. In Canada, for example, the word “hockey” ranked 18th on the list. While in the United Kingdom, “arsenal” ranked tenth.
Internet users are no longer more careful when protecting information at work. The report listed the most common corporate passwords, and the top 10 list was almost identical.
Even if you use strong security measures, the entire list is definitely worth a look to see how careless people are when creating a password.
NordPass and NordStellar reviewed and analyzed a 2.5 terabyte database extracted from various publicly available sources, including those on the dark web. No personal data was obtained or purchased to conduct the study.
How to improve your password security
If you're using one of the passwords on the list, you'll need to make some changes. There are a number of ways you can quickly improve your password security.
The best and easiest way is to find a password manager. This is a central, secure storage location for your password information. When you're looking, prioritize these password manager features to help manage all your credentials.
If you are an Apple fan and Mac user, you can easily switch to Apple Passwords, a new app that is completely free and easy to use on your Apple device and even Windows.
If you're looking for a more secure way to protect your information, it's time to start using passkeys.