Worst passwords of 2019: Check if yours is there
In the wake of all the recent leaks and breaches, having a strong password has become critical for every single internet user. However, according to a report highlighting the worst passwords of 2019, many people still don't follow basic password hygiene. They still use some incredibly weak, easy-to-predict, passwords for online services. Let's take a look at them.
NordPass analyzed 500 million passwords leaked in 2019
Just recently, the researchers behind NordPass, the sister product of NordVPN, analyzed a database of as many as 500 million passwords leaked in multiple breaches occurring throughout 2019. They scoured through the records and handpicked the passwords that were most commonly used by people - an effort to give the world a wake-up call to choose more secure passwords.
Unsurprisingly, top three worst passwords were easiest to crack
The top three worst passwords mentioned in the list were all unsurprisingly weak and predictable - 12345, 123456, and 123456789. They were used in more than 6 million instances, with the top-ranked one - 12345 - appearing in nearly 3 million cases alone. It was expected as previous studies have also shown that people often tend to use consecutive number patterns for their passwords.
Then, there were some unexpected passwords
While the list of most common passwords is expected to have weak credentials, there were also unexpected entries in NordPass's list. For instance, zinch and g_czechout are two passwords that you'd find normal, but here they were ranked as the 7th and 8th most commonly used passwords. The other common passwords on the list were test1, password, 12345678, asdf, qwerty, iloveyou et al.
Mostly, easy-to-guess number combinations, names made worst passwords
"The most popular passwords contain all the obvious and easy to guess number combinations, popular female names and just strings of letters," NordPass said in a statement released along with the list.
Look for your password, change it
Having said that, you can look at the complete list of 100 worst passwords on NordPass's website and see if it contains something you may already be using for an online account. If the answer comes as a yes, we would recommend changing that password immediately for all the sites where you are using it and choosing a stronger option with a password manager.
This would keep your accounts secure
A strong password (in addition to two-factor authentication) will keep your account secure from most, if not all, sorts of hacks, including brute force attacks where hackers use ID-password combination leaked from one platform on all other sites through an automated tool.
