Your Passwords Could Be Weak — Here’s the Reason

It’s likely that your password isn’t as strong as you believe — and recent research confirms this.

Cybernews analysts examined over 19 billion hacked passwords and discovered that merely 6 percent were distinct, indicating that the overwhelming majority had been reused or duplicated. Even more worrisome: several of the most prevalent passwords were astonishingly basic. In fact, around 4 percent of all passwords reviewed — approximately 727 million — included the sequence “1234.” Other commonly utilized terms were “password” and “admin,” demonstrating that many individuals continue to depend on default or easily guessable passwords.

“The issue of ‘default passwords’ continues to be one of the most enduring and perilous trends in leaked credential datasets,” stated Neringa Macijauskaitė, a cybersecurity researcher at Cybernews. “Terms like ‘password’ (56 million) and ‘admin’ (53 million) reveal that users predominantly rely on simple, predictable defaults. Attackers also focus on these, rendering such passwords among the most insecure.”

The research also showed that numerous users choose passwords based on names or even expletives — with 16 million passwords containing the F-word alone.

Regrettably, this is not a new problem. Time and time again, studies have illustrated that individuals struggle with creating robust passwords. As Mashable reported late last year, a study by NordPass underscored just how simplistic the majority of passwords are.

Here are the top 10 most frequently used passwords worldwide in 2024, according to NordPass:

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

If any of these seem familiar, it may be time to reevaluate your password approach. At the very least, eliminate “123456” — and consider utilizing a password manager to create and save more secure credentials.