For the last ten years, Techlicious has been reporting on the worst password choices, and unfortunately, not much has changed. Have you used “password,” “admin,” or “12345” for any of your accounts? You’re not alone. In 2023, the simplicity of “123456” remains the go-to choice for many Americans, as revealed by NordPass’ fifth annual password trends study. This makes for a concerning disconnect between cybersecurity awareness and our ongoing reliance on easily memorable and preset passwords.
Here are the top 10 most used passwords in the U.S.
123456
password
admin
1234
UNKNOWN
12345678
123456789
12345
abc123
Password (hint: capitalizing password does not make it more secure)
Streaming accounts, protected by the weakest passwords, are particularly vulnerable. Tomas Smalakys, CTO at NordPass, attributes this use of weak passwords to the joint management of shared accounts and the convenience of using easy-to-remember passwords. On the other hand, people demonstrate more caution with financial services, demonstrating some level of security awareness.
Soon, you may not need to bother with passwords at all. The future of password security is heading towards passkeys, a new form of authentication that eliminates the need for traditional passwords. This system generates a pair of related keys – a private key stored on your device that’s protected by a biometric ID (your face or fingerprint, for example) and a public key on the website’s server. Matching the passkeys authenticates you for successful sign-in.
While passkeys are gaining momentum, passwords are still the predominant method used for security. Whatever your reasoning for sticking to your weak passwords, it’s time to get rid of them. The easiest way to create and use strong, unique passwords is to use a password manager.
And if you’re not using a password manager, your passwords are almost guaranteed to be insecure, especially with the latest advances in computer processing power.
If you have any questions or need guidance on choosing a password manager call us at 732-780-8615 or email at [email protected].
Suzanne Kantra, Excerpt from “Americans Have Bad Password Habits. Are You Part of the Problem?” techlicious.com, November 29th, 2023