The 2024 NordPass report once again reveals a stark truth: many of us still choose passwords that make our online accounts incredibly vulnerable.
At a Glance
- NordPass released its sixth annual common passwords report.
- The report highlights the persistence of weak password choices.
- 123456 is the most common password worldwide in 2024.
- Many passwords can be hacked in less than a second.
- NordPass recommends using passkeys for increased security.
The Most Common Weak Passwords
NordPass has continued its tradition of releasing an annual report detailing the most frequently used passwords. This year’s release, in collaboration with NordStellar, is based on a substantial 2.5TB dataset of passwords sourced from the public domain. It spans both personal and corporate password usage, highlighting a critical digital security assumption: simplicity often overrides security.
Repeated offenders like 123456, “password,” and “admin” still top the list, as they’ve consistently done in previous years. The ease with which these passwords can be guessed leaves user data files open to intrusion. In 2024, 123456 maintained its position at the top of the list for the fifth time in six years, a worrying sign of stagnant improvement in password security habits.
Implications of Weak Passwords
Password simplicity poses an undeniable risk to digital security. “78% of the world’s most common passwords can be cracked in less than a second,” raising substantial concerns about online safety practices and the broader implications for data protection.
Many users continue to ignore warnings and use trivial passwords such as qwerty or password, despite their vulnerability. Unfortunately, this trend persists despite numerous awareness campaigns aimed at improving password practices worldwide.
Moving Towards More Secure Solutions
Despite the grim state of password security, solutions are within reach. NordPass recommends abandoning outdated password strategies in favor of complex passphrases and passkeys, technologies that use cryptographic methods for securing account access. Major corporations like Google and Amazon are adopting these technologies, setting an industry standard for robust online security measures.
NordPass notes that “After analyzing 6 years’ worth of data, we can say there hasn’t been much improvement in people’s password habits.” The company also says “So, despite many organizations’ efforts to spread awareness, the problem is still as prevalent as ever.”
In addition, password managers offer a secure way to generate and store complex passwords, reducing the user’s burden to remember each unique code. As the digital era continues to evolve, adapting to these advancements could drastically minimize security breaches and protect valuable personal and corporate data.
Sources
Here Are 2024’s Most Used (and Worst) Passwords: Is Yours on the List?
Make sure you aren’t using any of the most common passwords of 2024
Make sure you aren’t using any of the most common passwords of 2024
