In the sixth edition of its annual Top 200 Most Common Passwords, NordPass, known for listing the most used passwords across 44 countries worldwide, has ranked “12345” as the most common password. The password “12345” is most widely used in India and globally. The research took into account almost 3,018,050 users worldwide who used this password. In India alone, 76,981 people were found to be using “12345′ as their password.
Additionally, it was found that “123456789” was the second most used password worldwide, while it ranked 8th in India. The study, conducted in collaboration with NordStellar, reveals that almost half of the passwords used worldwide consist of some of the easiest keyboard combinations, such as “123456789”, “qwerty”, or “1q2w3e4er5t”.
A previous study by NordPass provides an interesting insight that an internet user makes use of almost 168 passwords for personal accounts and around 87 passwords for work-related purposes. This indicates that people often rely on multiple passwords, and memorizing all of them can be challenging, leading many to resort to commonly used and weak passwords.
Experts have consistently warned users against using simple password combinations, as they are easily crackable and pose a significant cybersecurity risk. For instance, combinations like “qwerty123” are among the most commonly used passwords in several countries, including Lithuania, Canada, Finland, and the Netherlands. This password is also among the top ten most popular passwords in India. Another striking example for passwords is the term “password” itself. It ranks as the second most popular password in India and is the top choice for users in the United Kingdom and Australia.
To enhance security, it is advisable for users to create strong passwords, containing at least 20 characters. According to some studies, longer passwords with a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters are relatively safer than simple ones. Users should also be mindful of the fact that the same password should not be used repeatedly.
