Jessica joined RWA in 2018, having graduated with a First Class Honours degree in Film Studies. Her role as a content designer involves developing new and engaging e-learning modules as well as assisting in the creation of articles for Insight.
Most Common Passwords of 2024
Password management system NordPass have released their annual report featuring the top 200 most common passwords for 2024. Now in its sixth year, the report analyses people’s password habits; unsurprisingly, the results are far from encouraging.
The data has been gathered from 44 countries to identify the latest password trends within their country of origin. New for this year, NordPass have also put together a list of the most common corporate passwords to see how they compare to those used in everyday life.
A returning concern from previous years is the worrying amount of passwords in the list that still rely on variations of numbers 1-9 on the keyboard, with “123456” again claiming the top spot.
Top 10 most common passwords
- 123456
- 123456789
- 12345678
- password
- qwerty123
- qwerty1
- 111111
- 12345
- secret
- 123123
In the UK, sports teams appear to be the popular choice this year, with “Liverpool”, “Arsenal”, and “Chelsea” making it into the top 10. In showing support for a favoured team, however, these users have put their accounts at risk.
Top 10 most common passwords in the UK
- password
- qwerty123
- qwerty1
- 123456
- liverpool
- 123456789
- password1
- qwerty
- liverpool1
- arsenal
Many passwords highlighted in the report could be cracked in less than one second. Take a moment to look at your keyboard; notice how easy it is to type these passwords by simply pressing adjacent keys. The findings from this study should serve as a wake-up call for anyone still relying on weak passwords like the ones above to protect sensitive information. Such weak passwords are prime targets for hackers, and it only takes one simple guess to gain access to your data.
Why are most passwords easy to guess?
Many people choose simple and easily memorable passwords for convenience. Keeping track of passwords for every website can be frustrating, and the temptation to use a single password for all accounts is strong. However, succumbing to this urge—whether intentionally or not—can put you at risk of a cyberattack.
If your password has made it onto these lists, now is the time to change it and make it more secure over the holidays. Luckily, creating a stronger defence against hackers is as simple as 1-2-3 (pun intended).
Practicing Better Cyber Hygiene
Never reuse passwords across multiple accounts. Create a unique one for each account and make them long —anything shorter than 12 characters can be easily solved. Use a mix of upper- and lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols to significantly lower the risk of getting your passwords cracked. You should also get into the habit of changing your passwords at least every 90 days or implementing a multi-factor authentication method as an extra layer of security.
Another recommendation is to invest in a password manager, which generates strong, unique passwords and stores them securely in an encrypted ‘vault’ that only you can access. A password manager makes it easier to keep track of complex passwords without having to type them in every time manually.
As an extra security measure, it may also be a good idea to check if your account has been caught up in a data breach using a database service.
With the holiday season quickly approaching, everyone deserves to enjoy their time off without the stress of coming back to a cyber-attack. By having the right procedures in place and staying vigilant, both you and your staff can take the time to enjoy the holidays in peace.
Users of the Development Zone can also access a range of curated modules covering Cyber Risks and Data Security through our Content Catalogue.
For those not currently using the system, you can find out more and request a free 14-day trial here: https://mydevelopment.zone/#getStarted