Since we started with the Internet about two decades ago and later with the mobile phone, online purchases, digital emails, smartphones, Steam, iPod, social networks and, finally, everything that the Internet has brought with it networks, our lives have been governed by passwords. We have passwords to protect our data, devices, checking accounts, devices, etc., so it is normal that sometimes we resort more to comfort, which can become the worst passwords and not prioritize security and this is a serious mistake.
NordPass just revealed the 200 most used passwords on the web in 2020, once again showing that various combinations of easy-to-guess numbers are still as popular as ever. Seven of the ten worst passwords are made up of various number combinations, with “123456,” “123456789,” and “12345678” ranking first, second, and fifth, respectively. Third place went to “picture1”, a new addition to the list, and it was followed by the already frequent one on this list: “password”.
It is precisely this convenience that can be expensive, since sometimes we tend to create passwords of very low effectiveness, although other times it is directly to stare at the authors and ask them “SERIOUSLY?”
If that’s not a cause for concern, then perhaps these two facts should be: the first five passwords bring together more than 4.5 million users and all together were exposed more than 38 million times in different data breaches. Also, all these passwords, except “picture1”, could be cracked in less than a second.
123456 123456789 picture1 password 12345678 111111
123123 12345 1234567890 senha 1234567 qwerty
abc123 Million2 000000 1234 iloveyou aaron431
password1 qqww1122 123 omgpop 123321 654321
qwertyuiop
If you use any of these options to “secure” your accounts, then the first thing you should do is modify them. First, consider using a unique passphrase for each of your online accounts. If you do this right, it will be much more difficult or even impossible to crack. While you’re at it, avoid falling into other bad habits related to creating and using passwords, including password reuse.
See also:
Password leak risk – What to do if this happens
Why is Cybersecurity so relevant in our lifes
