Yes, tons of people still use “123456” as a password, according to NordPass’s 200 most common passwords of the year for 2020, which is based on analysis of passwords exposed by data breaches. The six-digit sequence has also ranked high on other lists over the years; SplashData, which has come up with lists using similar methodology, found “123456” in second place in 2011 and 2012; it then jumped up to number one where it stayed every year right through 2019.
Plenty of other epically insecure passwords continue to make the annual password hall of shame, including the aforementioned “password” (always in the top five, and No. 1 in 2011 and 2012); “qwerty” (always in the top ten); and a slightly longer variation of the reigning champ, “12345678” (always in the top six).
Other worst password lists, like SplashData’s and those from the U.K.’s National Cyber Security Center are mostly consistent. Easily guessed number sequences, and “words” made up of letters immediately adjacent to one another on a standard QWERTY keyboard, are always popular; so is the phrase “iloveyou,” because we are a species of hopeless romantics. Another constant cringe-inducing winner is the word “password.” On that note, one new addition to NordPass’s list this year was “senha,” which is Portuguese for — you guessed it — “password.” This may reflect Brazil’s burgeoning population becoming more connected to the internet, though they’re apparently not any more security conscious than English speakers.
Credit : CSO
Picture Credit : Google
