Insecure Passwords, on the occasion of the end of 2022, has wanted to give us a good lesson and we show which are the most used passwords by country, even by gender, to teach us that year after year we continue to make the same mistakes and are cannon fodder for hackers.
Internet security is one of the great pending subjects of practically the whole world. It doesn’t matter how many years go by or how many hacks happen: a large percentage of people continue to use passwords of dubious protection in services that manage a good part of their lives.
You’ll indeed need to create a password to do just about everything on the Internet, from checking your email to doing online banking. And while it’s easier to use a short, easy-to-remember password, this can also pose serious risks to your Internet security.
Sadly, it is quite common to hear news about account theft, which, even though this can happen regardless of the password you have, is very simple if you use the same one for several accounts or some that even a small child would decipher by doing the odd test and mistake.
Note that a recent study by SpyCloud has revealed that 64% of Insecure Passwords are used across multiple accounts and that almost 70% of users whose credentials were part of a data breach continue to reuse the same exposed passwords. Even the CEOs of large companies use passwords just as badly as those of most users.
To protect yourself and your data above all, you should use passwords that are long, strong and hard to guess, but relatively easy for you to remember.
On the occasion of all the aforementioned and seeing that the end of 2022 is coming, NordPass, a password manager, has revealed a series of infographics and data that it has collected and wants to give us a good wake-up call.
This year’s study looked at trends in password creation around the world and gender differences in password use in the 30 countries surveyed . For the first time, NordPass has also analyzed how pop culture trends influence password choice .
- The 10 most common passwords in Spain and the world and how long it would take to crack them
- It’s time you realized that the Matrix or U2 are not strong passwords
- Tips to keep in mind to make your password safe
The 10 most Insecure Passwords and how long it would take to crack them
Well then, let’s get down to business and see, according to NordPass, what are the most used insecure Passwords worldwide and then focus on Spain, to see if things change. A rather striking and interesting fact is that they also provide us with the time it would take a hacker to decipher each of the passwords that we present to you.
Let’s go first with a worldwide analysis: “password”, which tops the list, is used more than 4.9 million times. “123456” is used in 1.5 million cases and both two, or a few more that you can see in the following image, would be solved in less than 1 second if a hacker set his mind to it.
Now, let’s go with Spain, although we can see that the tendency to use numbers is something that does not change. In this case, we Spaniards usually opt for a simple one: “123456”, just because, because we don’t feel like spending too much time typing a password and that hacking is something that happens to others, of course not to you.
In second place we have those that go further and are capable of reaching up to number 9, just as easy to decipher, so it’s almost better to stay at 6 numbers and that’s what you save.
Something, however, that draws attention is that the term “swing” appears among the most used. Of course, it is a key that a hacker could figure out in six seconds.
Insecure Passwords
“If we compare this list with that of last year, few changes are seen (in 2021 the most used was “12345”); the entry to third place of the word ‘swing’ stands out especially, which breaks the sequence of Insecure Passwords that practically top 10 on the list ,” explains NordPass.
If we expand the range, although the image does not show the passwords chosen beyond position 10, we check again how many are related to cities such as Barcelona, Valencia, Madrid and some related soccer teams.
In addition, there are many names such as Andrea, Alejandro, Cristina, Estrella, Carlos or Carmen, without forgetting common words and phrases such as “I love you”, “potato” or “free”.
If we expand the range, although the image does not show the passwords chosen beyond position 10, we check again how many are related to cities such as Barcelona, Valencia, Madrid and some related soccer teams.
In addition, there are many names such as Andrea, Alejandro, Cristina, Estrella, Carlos or Carmen, without forgetting common words and phrases such as “I love you”, “potato” or “free”.
It’s time you realized that the Matrix or U2 are not strong passwords
Some of the most commonly used Insecure Passwords are based on last names, hobbies or a simple pattern, certainly not difficult for hackers. Although these types of passwords are easy to remember, they are also among the least secure.
Well, unlike previous years, NordPass in 2022 and in collaboration with independent researchers, analyzed how current events and lifestyle trends inspire people’s passwords.
The company presents which are the most loved movies, sports, food, cars, video games, artists, fashion brands and even swear words in the world and which are most reflected in passwords.
| Theme | Passwords (Top 10) |
|---|---|
| Fashion brands | tiffany; aldo; gap; nike; adidas; Levi; zara; omega; Cougar; diesel |
| swearing | fuck; bitch; shit; mist; asshole; fool; mere; bitch; skit; cone |
| Sports | Red Star Belgrade; Detroit Red Wings; Boston Red Sox; Toronto Blue Jays; Columbus Blue Jacket; FC Rome; InterMilan; Real Madrid; Phoenix Suns; Tampa Bay Rays |
| Artists | u2; prince; pink; heart; what in; Eminem; gaga; miley; eagles; metallica |
| Films | lion; coconut; joker; matrix; starwars; spider-man; alien; maverick; psycho; terminator |
| Video game | weapon; nba; rust; rafting; gta; fate; sims; fifa; force; endows |
| cars | mini; kia; ford; vw; audi; sling; BMW; dodge; ferrari; Mercedes |
| Meal | fish; poke; rice; chicken; Chocolat; Pizza; popcorn; icecream; potatoes; maples |
For example, “mini,” “kia,” and “ford” are the most common passwords in the “car” category, and “tiffany,” “aldo,” and “gap” top the list for fashion brands. And it is that, if we talk about how to create a secure password, of course any of these do not even appear on the list of the worst, because they are simply a disaster.
Tips to keep in mind to make your Insecure Passwords safe
The truth is that although most websites are safe, there is always a small chance that someone will try to access or steal your information. It is what is known as computer hacking. A strong password is one of the best ways to defend your accounts and private information from hackers.
Source: computerhoy.com
