Password Pitfalls: The Top Choices of 4 Out of Every 5 People Online

Let us be honest, no one likes creating and memorizing the passwords. However, in this modern era of ever-evolving cybercrimes, setting a unique password is the most critical security task for an individual or an organization.

Stay malware-free with reliable antivirus

Don’t compromise your Data and Privacy. TotalAV is a top-notch antivirus program that handles various viruses, trojans, and other malware that may target your devices. It will safeguard your devices and enhance your system performance.

4.9/5

⭐ Editor’s Choice

✔️ Excellent Malware Detection
✔️ Multiple set of Features
✔️ 30 Day Money-Back

Get TotalAV >

Still, people tend to take this task lightly and end up creating the most common passwords for their accounts. Then they curse themselves after getting hacked.

Despite being the most vulnerable password over many years, ‘123456′ is still among the most used passwords. And its extended version ‘123456789′ hassecured the second position. (facepalm)

People make the most common mistake by choosing a regular, straight forward password so that they can remember it easily. They don’t ponder much on the fact that if they can quickly memorize and guess it, so do the cybercriminals. Moreover, some people even think that their chosen password is a unique one, which is actually already being used by a large number of people.

So, what are the most common passwords of 2020, and what are the best practices for improving your password security?

Let us discuss that!

How To Choose Good Security Questions

Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links

If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Most Common Passwords of 2020

Here is the password list of the most common and, subsequently, the least secured passwords of the year 2020. Check whether your password is also on the list or not.

1. 123456
2. 123456789
3. qwerty
4. password
5. 1234567
6. 12345678
7. 12345
8. iloveyou
9. 111111
10. 123123

Other common passwords are:

• Nothing
• Secret
• Password1
• Admin

The biggest problem with this list is, you would not find much change if matched with the previous years’ list.

Take a look at the list of most common passwords of 2019:

1. 123456
2. 123456789
3. qwerty
4. password
5. 1234567
6. 12345678
7. 12345
8. iloveyou
9. 111111
10. 123123

As you can compare, the list of 2020 and 2019 is exact. And comparing it with the 2018 list would not provide a significant difference.

So, what mistakes are people doing while choosing a password? Let us find out.

Most Common Password Mistakes

Most of the people have poor password hygiene and are ignorant about the security risk a weak password can possess. Here are the most common mistakes people make while building a password.

1. Using Personal Information in Passwords

While preparing a password, what most people do is they simply use their personal pieces of information such as date of birth, mother’s name, father’s name, pet’s name, favorite celebrity, favorite sports, favorite sports team, and more such. Some people even keep their crush name as a password and append it with ilove.

While it may be a great way to show your love and respect towards your close ones, it is also a great way to make your online presence vulnerable.

It makes it easy for hackers to crack your password by just knowing a few basic details about you.

2. Using the Same Password Everywhere

Another common mistake made by most people is using the same password everywhere. In order to stay away from the strain of remembering different passwords for different accounts, the maximum number of people choose to keep a single password for all of their accounts. This practice makes them more vulnerable to cyberattacks like hacking. Also, all your accounts will be accessible to hackers if they get hold of even one account’s password. Avoid such practice and at least keep different passwords for your every social media login.

3. Sharing passwords with others

People remember this. Passwords are meant just for your eyes. They are not for sharing even with your closest person. Besides, it is not always about faith. If the person with whom you have shared your password, have stored it in a system that got hacked, then your password will also get into the hands of the hacker.

Password Management DO’s and DON’Ts

Tips to Improve your Password Security

Here are some tips for creating a secured password

1. Use a Robust Password Manager

A password manager would not only store the passwords for you but would also create unique and strong passwords. Usually, they do not cost much and would reduce the risk of getting hacked because of weak passwords. Password Managers are more beneficial for an organization as they are vulnerable to much greater loss if got hacked.

Are Password Managers Safe?

2. Use Multi-Factor Authentication

Multi-factor authentication is a security measure in which users required to authenticate themselves using more than one credentials. For example, the first step of login could be entering your username and password; the second step could be verification by mobile OTP: and the third step could be verification by fingerprint.

3. Don’t Create Passwords with Dictionary Words

Creating a password using dictionary words is a silly practice. While creating a password, always use alphanumeric combinations and also append special characters. Also, try to make it more complicated by the combination of upper and lower case letters.

Conclusion: Most Common Passwords

Digital technology is still evolving and spreading throughout the world. Still, not everyone has access to digital gadgets daily. Therefore, many of them do not understand the security risk of using the same password everywhere. Many users end up creating commonly used passwords that are easy to guess. All these mistakes can lead hackers to your accounts and misuse your data.

Therefore, we highly suggest you follow the best practices to create a secure password. We hope you find this article helpful. Also, if you have any more tricks that we can practice, feel free to comment down below.

What is a high strength password?

A strong password is the one consisting of at least six letters, a combination of alphanumeric and special characters, and letters in both upper and lower cases.

What is a unique password?

A unique password is the one that you only use for one account and do not repeat it with any other accounts.

What are the most common 4 digits passwords?

The most common 4 digit passwords are 1234, 1111, and 0000. Another popular 4 digit is the combination of birth date and birth month.

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Comment

Name Email

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Δ

Also read: