How secure is your digital life?
A new study has revealed the 25 most commonly used passwords worldwide, and many of us are still using easily guessable phrases and passwords.
As we entrust more and more personal data online, let's be honest, using "123456" as your security code really doesn't cut it anymore.
There is a small glimmer of hope, however, with "password" now just the eighth most common password around.
Last year, a similar study revealed that "password" was the second most frequently used password.
The latest figures are based on 10 million hacked usernames and passwords.
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Strong passwords are essential for any online account, no matter how trivial
The new study shows a staggering 17 per cent of accounts have "123456" as their password.
Following closely behind are "123456789" in second place, and the equally uninventive "qwerty" in third.
Showing just how little many of us value our privacy and security, fourth place through seven on the most used passwords list comprise of "12345678", "111111", "1234567890", and "1234567" respectively.
In fact, the only real surprise on the list is "mynoob" in 12th, and "l8atcskd2w" in 15th, and "google" down at the bottom of the list in 21st place.
According to password manager Keeper, more than 50 per cent of the world's computer users use one of the top 25 most common passwords as their security passphrase.
If your password is on the list, you should probably want to change your code.
Never use the same password and email combination across different websites.
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Always create a unique password for every one of your online accounts.
For example, take the first letter of each word in your favourite song lyric, phrase or poem – and use those letters, which appear like a random jumble, as your password.
A password manager is another way to generate and securely store unique passwords with letters, symbols and numbers.
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If your password is on the Top 25 list, you should change it right away
According to Keeper's researchers: "The list of most-frequently used passwords has changed little over the past few years.
"While it's important for users to be aware of risks, a sizeable minority are never going to take the time or effort to protect themselves.
"Email providers could do everyone a favour by flagging this kind of repetition and reporting the guilty parties."
The full list of the 25 most common passwords can be seen below –
- 123456
- 123456789
- qwerty
- 12345678
- 111111
- 1234567890
- 1234567
- password
- 123123
- 987654321
- qwertyuiop
- mynoob
- 123321
- 666666
- 18atcskd2w
- 7777777
- 1q2w3e4r
- 654321
- 555555
- 3rjs1la7qe
- 1q2w3e4r5t
- 123qwe
- zxcvbnm
- 1q2w3e
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