Common Passwords

Passwords help protect some of our most personal information, but often times they don't actually end up being that personal — making them very easy to circumvent.

NordPass, a company that helps users generate passwords and keep them secure, has put out its annual list of common passwords, and it shows that many are lacking creativity.

NordPass partnered with independent researchers who analyzed 4.3 terabytes of data taken from publicly available sources; the company said no personal data was taken during the process. Analyzing data from 35 countries and eight different types of platforms, the company found the most common passwords are often strings of numbers.

The most common, "123456," was counted more than 4.5 million times. According to NordPass, it takes less than one second to crack it. The password "admin" is just as easy to crack and was counted more than 4 million times. Then come strings of numbers like "1234," "12345678" or – as if it makes a major difference – "123456789" that are also very common.

Also on the list are words like "password," which still takes less than a second to crack, and "UKNOWN," which takes 17 minutes.

A recent study has revealed that the password "P@ssw0rd" is still incredibly easy to crack, taking less than a second to do so. Surprisingly, it was counted a staggering 135,424 times. The study also found that many of the most common passwords consist of series of numbers. However, one interesting finding is that the password "qwertyuiop" - which is formed by running your finger across the top line of letters on a keyboard - was counted 79,434 times and also takes less than a second to crack.

The study, conducted by NordPass, also analyzed password data by country. In the United States, typical passwords like "123456," "password," and "admin" were at the top of the list. However, the 16th most common password was a surprising one: "sh**bird." This password was counted 4,230 times and takes five minutes to crack.

Furthermore, the study found that different platforms can influence password habits. For example, the fourth most common password for e-commerce sites, such as Amazon, was simply "amazon."

When it comes to streaming sites, one of the most common passwords is "netflix." According to NordPass, passwords used for streaming sites tend to be the least secure compared to other websites. 

The findings in this year's report align with NordPass' previous reports. Passwords like "12345" and "password" consistently rank among the most common choices.