How safe are your app and online accounts? Unfortunately, if you are part of the 85% of people who use variations of the same password on different accounts, your data may not be very secure. And if you use one of the 20 most common passwords in the U.S., your risk of data theft could be even higher. According to password manager NordPass, 83% of these passwords can be cracked in less than a second.
The Most Commonly Used Passwords In The U.S.
NordPass partnered with independent researchers that specialize in cybersecurity incidents to compile a list of passwords. The sample of passwords available for analysis was smaller than in previous years, as rapidly evolving technologies have made passwords harder to breach. However, 73% of the 200 most common passwords in 2022 were also on the list in 2021.
Last year, "123456" was at the top of the list in the U.S. This year, the password fell to No. 2, with "guest" claiming the No. 1 spot.
The following are the 20 most frequently used passwords in the U.S. this year, according to NordPass.
1. guest
2. 123456
3. password
4. 12345
5. a1b2c3
6. 123456789
7. Password1
8. 1234
9. abc123
10. 12345678
11. qwerty
12. baseball
13. football
14. unknown
15. soccer
16. jordan23
17. iloveyou
18. monkey
19. shadow
20. g_czechou
You can view the complete list here.
Tips For Safer Passwords
NordPass says people choose convenient keyboard combinations, making them easy to hack. The company offers several recommendations for creating more secure passwords.
1. Keep track of all of your passwords. Make sure you're assessing their strength and updating them regularly.
2. Long, unique passwords with complicated combinations of symbols, numbers and uppercase and lowercase letters are harder to crack.
3. Use a different password for every account. If you reuse them and one is hacked, they are all at risk. Delete accounts you no longer use to prevent gaps in your password management.
4. Use a password manager that fully encrypts passwords and allows secure sharing. Human mistakes, such as storing passwords in spreadsheets or other unencrypted applications, have led to many cybersecurity incidents.
