These are the passwords you shouldn’t use at all

Password manager NordPass has released its annual list of the most popular passwords, and the results are discouraging to say the least. In a world where digital security is being increasingly cited, people’s lack of creativity when creating passwords is impressive.

For the second year in a row, “123456” topped the list, making it clear that many users continue to simply ignore basic online security practices.

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Why do so many people choose the same passwords?

Unfortunately, this tendency to repeat the same weak passwords, such as simple numerical sequences or easy words, is not new. In five of the six editions of the NordPass report, the password “123456” topped the list, only being surpassed in 2022, when “password” took first place. This shows that, even as digital threats increase, many users still maintain predictable passwords that are easy for hackers to access.

Probably the justification for this lazy choice is simply ease and speed. This is because theoretically these simple passwords allow faster access, without having to worry about remembering more complex combinations. But this has a price.

This habit ends up leaving users’ information extremely vulnerable. Security experts warn that passwords like “123456” can be discovered in milliseconds by hacking programs, putting personal data and financial information at risk.

Passwords vary between interests and even regions

Analyzing the list of popular passwords, we noticed that many people opt for combinations that end up reflecting personal feelings or interests. Among the most common are “iloveyou” (I love you) and even “fuckyou” (go screw yourself), showing that emotions are a frequent inspiration.

Other popular passwords reveal varied tastes and interests, such as “pokemon”, “naruto”, “samsung” and “minecraft”. Furthermore, names like “michelle” and “ashley” also appear in the ranking, suggesting that some prefer to use the names of loved ones or even their own name, which, in fact, is a risky practice.

Each country presents interesting variations in the choice of passwords. In the United Kingdom, for example, “liverpool” is one of the most used passwords, probably in reference to the popular English football team. In Australia, a popular password is “lizottes”, the name of a restaurant and live music venue now called Flamingos Live. In countries like Finland and Hungary, common passwords are “salasana” and “jelszo”, which literally mean “password” in Finnish and Hungarian, respectively.

In the case of Brazil, in addition to those that are common for several regions, the only completely Brazilian word that made the list was “brazil”.

How does NordPass collect this data?

To make its report, NordPass uses a 2.5 terabyte database of “publicly available sources,” many of which are found on the dark web. This means that this data is extracted from previously disclosed security breaches and leaks, which allows NordPass to map which passwords are most used globally.

This type of analysis is an important warning, showing that, in addition to simple passwords being easily cracked, they are also commonly found in massive data leaks.

Below are the most used passwords, according to the NordPass report:

1. 123456
2. 123456789
3. 12345678
4. password
5. qwerty123
6. qwerty1
7. 111111
8. 12345
9. secret
10. 123123

These combinations do not provide sufficient security for current threats. Therefore, it is essential to replace simple passwords with more secure and unique options.

Tips for creating more secure passwords

If your password is among the most popular, such as “123456” or “password”, it’s time to change it to something more secure. Instead of choosing obvious and predictable sequences like “123456” or “qwerty123”, the ideal is to mix uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers and symbols to make it difficult for attackers to access. Another strategy is to use unique combinations, such as a short phrase or disjointed words, which make the password stronger and less predictable.

For those who prefer more practicality, tools like NordPass itself are great for generating and storing strong and unique passwords for each account, in addition to considering access keys (or passkeys) as an even safer alternative to traditional passwords. It’s also important to remember to change your passwords frequently, as even strong combinations can be exposed in data leaks, and changing them frequently increases your online security.

Font: NordPass