The most common passwords used in 2024
It's no secret that you should try and choose a difficult password.
Protecting your data and information is of great importance.
Especially when so much of our lives are put on social media.
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Whether you are choosing a password for a social media account or your online banking, you should try your best to come up with something that isn't easy to figure out.
A more difficult password might not keep all the hackers out, but it will help you more in the long run.
Unfortunately, some people seem to be fed up with choosing passwords and resort to simple options that could be compromised by a hacker or program in less than a second.
Every year, NordPass, a cyber security and password management firm, collects data and conducts research on the top-used passwords in 44 countries.
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The data comes from passwords stolen through malware and data leaks where passwords become exposed.
While you might think some of these are too obvious, this is truly what people are using to "protect" their information.
In South Africa, the top five are:
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In the USA, the top spot is taken by 'secret' followed by '123456' and 'password'. Some honourable mentions on both country's lists include 'iloveyou', 'Password', and 'qwerty1'.
The USA list also includes many sports, such as baseball and football, but the SA list does not include rugby.
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Some people who have come across this list argue that the easy and obvious passwords could be used for websites that don't contain vital information for this person and are a low-security risk. However, it is still bad internet practice.
NordPass also compiled a list of passwords used in the corporate world, where protection is needed and sensitive information could be put at risk.
The most common passwords in corporate SA are:
In the USA the top corporate passwords are quite similar: '123456', '123456789', and '12345678'.
It's important to note that many of the passwords on both personal and corporate lists are the same or similar and this should be avoided.
NordPass advises people to choose passwords with at least 20 characters and various characters and symbols.
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