Using strong passwords for online accounts is a basic security measure to help protect your information. But anew list from NordPassshows that we’re still a long way from everyone getting that important message.
The List of Shame Is Led By “123456”
NordPass recently released its annual list of the top 200 most common passwords.
The most popular password was “123456.” That was used more than 3 million times in the data. And it takes less than a second for a hacker to crack—so much for security.
In the top 10 included other not-so-smart choices like “password,” ”qwerty123,” and “111111.” Some of the other choices include “tinkle,” “monkey,” “dragon,” and “iloveyou.”
Interestingly, the report organized passwords from 44 countries, and you can see the most popular choices for each one. In Canada, for example, “hockey” was No. 18 on the list. While in the UK, “arsenal” was No. 10.
And internet users aren’t any more careful when protecting information at work. The report listed the most popular corporate passwords, and the top-10 list was nearly identical.
Even if you’re using strong security measures, the entire list is definitely worth a look to see how sloppy people are when creating a password.
NordPass and NordStellar reviewed and analyzed a 2.5TB database extracted from various publicly available sources, including those on the dark web. No personal data was acquired or purchased to do the study.
How to Improve Your Password Security
If you’re using one of the passwords on the list, you should make some changes. There are a number of ways you can quickly improve password security.
The best and easiest way is to find a password manager. That 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’re an Apple fan and Mac user, you caneasily switch over to Apple Passwords, a new app that is completely free and easy to use on an Apple device, and even Windows.
And if you’re looking for an even more secure way to protect your information,it’s time to start using passkeys.
