(ABC4) – We all have them. Some are stronger than others, and the weaker ones can be cracked in less than two seconds. Any guesses?
It’s passwords.
Whether you are logging on to your phone or computer, social media, or your bank account, there are dozens of places that require a password. NordPass, a proprietary password manager that allows you to store your passwords, has released its annual list of the 200 most common logins of the year.
To compile the list, independent researchers specializing in cybersecurity evaluated a 4TB database across 50 countries. Through their research, they found over a dozen countries are at a high risk of data leaks. Those include the U.S., Canada, Russia, Australia, and many countries in Europe.
Across all countries surveyed, the most popular password was 123456. Over 2.5 million users reportedly use this password. According to NordPass, this password can be cracked in less than a second. In 2020, 123456 was the second most popular password. It replaces 12345 – which fell to eighth – as the most popular.
Most popular passwords in the world
Below are the top 10 passwords, where they ranked in 2020, how long it takes to crack it, and how many users were found to have it:
| Position (2020’s position) | Password | Time to crack it | Number of users |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (2) | 123456 | < 1 second | 2,543,285 |
| 2 (3) | 123456789 | < 1 second | 961,435 |
| 3 (New) | picture1 | 3 hours | 371,612 |
| 4 (5) | password | < 1 second | 360,467 |
| 5 (6) | 12345678 | < 1 second | 322,187 |
| 6 (17) | 111111 | < 1 second | 230,507 |
| 7 (18) | 123123 | < 1 second | 189,327 |
| 8 (1) | 12345 | < 1 second | 188,268 |
| 9 (11) | 1234567890 | < 1 second | 171,724 |
| 10 (New) | senha | 10 seconds | 167,728 |
Other popular passwords like qwerty, abc123, 1234, and iloveyou were also used by more than 100,000 people and can be guessed in less than one second.
New common passwords in 2020
NordPass found multiple passwords used by thousands that weren’t on 2020’s list. Those include:
- Million2
- aaron431
- omgpop
- unknown
- Bangbang123
- zing
- password123
- trustno1
Frequently used passwords in the U.S.
In addition to finding the most popular passwords in the world, NordPass’s research shows the most frequently used in the U.S. Largely similar to the most common worldwide, here are the top 10 passwords in America:
- 123456
- password
- 12345
- 123456789
- password1
- abc123
- 12345678
- qwerty
- 111111
- 1234567
All 10, used by thousands of Americans, can be cracked in less than one second, according to NordPass. If you’re in the United Kingdom and you’re a football (i.e. soccer) fan, watch out – some of the most common passwords are liverpool, arsenal, and Chelsea.
Other popular findings
Liverpool isn’t just one of the most popular passwords in the U.K. – researchers found it is a popular password worldwide.
Overall, researchers also found many users include their own name as a password (like whoever is using aaron431). If you aren’t using your own name, you may be using swear words which were found to be more frequently used by men than women.
Other popular terms included Ferrari, Porsche, Onedirection (which didn’t make the top 200 in 2020), and dolphin.
By gender
While many of the most frequent passwords were mostly the same between men and women – 123456 topped out the lists for both genders, followed by variations of numbers and the term ‘password’ – women were found to use iloveyou as a password far more than men.
Women also tended to use more feminine words like princess, sunshine, butterfly, and babygirl. Men, on the other hand, used words like dragon, superman, killer, and sports-related words (just baseball and football, in some cases).
Tips on creating a strong password
If you noticed one of your passwords or some variation of it above, don’t worry. There are ways to set a stronger password to help keep your data from being breached.
Here are some tips from NordPass on how to create a good password:
- Make it complex: Have at least 12 characters combining upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols
- Never reuse passwords: It may be tempting to keep using the same password but it can lead to multiple accounts being hacked
- Regularly update your passwords: Security experts recommend changing your passwords ever three months
- Check password strength: Many sites will notify you if your password is week or looking good
For the full 2021 report, click here.
According to the FBI, over 400 Utahns were impacted by personal data breaches in 2020.
