"We Now Know the 200 Most Used Passwords, and Hacking Them Is Pretty Easy"

Many people are still putting their data at risk by using the password "123456." According to NordPass, a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider, that password topped the list of most commonly used passwords. In collaboration with independent cybersecurity researchers who analyzed a four-terabyte database, the company discovered that "123456" was the most commonly used password in the world, with over 100 million instances of use. Second in was 'password,' which was perhaps the most obvious entry a person could use. A hacker would need less than a second to crack these passwords. In comparison to the top password choices, Nordpass estimates that cracking another commonly used password, "lizottes," would take three hours. Hive Systems, a cybersecurity firm, released updated tables on estimated 'crack' times. This information shows how long a hacker would take to break a password. The updated tables show that a password like "lizottes" would take just three seconds to break, or instantaneously if high-performance computing technology was used. People choose simple passwords because they want to lower the barrier to entry, according to UQ Cyber research officer Joshua Scarsbrook. If a 16 or 32-character passphrase is required, it will take some time to type that out. As a result, people use shorter passwords that are simpler and easier to remember. However, this leaves individuals vulnerable to hacking. This article continues to discuss a list of the most commonly used passwords in Australia, how hackers can break passwords quickly, and how password security can be strengthened.

Cosmos Magazine reports "We Now Know the 200 Most Used Passwords, and Hacking Them Is Pretty Easy"