Short Tutorial/FAQ – What Are the Most Common Passwords?

Question: What passwords do people use most?

Answer: Nordpass, an online password manager, recently released its list of 2024's most used passwords. Here are the top 10:

1. 123456
2. 123456789
3. 12345678
4. password
5. qwerty123
6. qwerty1
7. 111111
8. 12345
9. secret
10. 123123

It will come as no surprise that these passwords are also the worst ones to use, since they're extremely easy for hackers to guess and for automated software to quickly "crack." People choose simple passwords because they're easy to remember, but that convenience comes at too high of a price in terms of security.

If you're using any of the passwords on this list (or similar ones), it's time to do better. Create longer passwords that are a mix of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and special symbols such as "%," "!" and "@." Don't include easily guessable information like names, birthdays, and common words, and never use the same password for multiple accounts.

Consider using a password manager, a software application that securely stores all your online account passwords in one place. This allows you to generate strong, unique passwords for each site and access them with only one "master password" you need to remember.