NordPass recently published the sixth edition of its annual *Top 200 Most Common Passwords* research, revealing the most frequently used passwords across 44 countries. The study showed that “123456” continues to be the most commonly used password worldwide, including in India. Out of 3,018,050 global users with this password, 76,981 were from India. Additionally, the password “123456789” was found to be the second most popular globally and ranked fourth in India.
The Prevalence of Simple and Easily Cracked Passwords
In collaboration with NordStellar, the research emphasized that nearly half of the world’s most common passwords are simple keyboard combinations like “qwerty” and “1q2w3e4r5t”. This trend is also evident in India. According to a previous study, the average internet user manages 168 personal passwords and 87 for work. The difficulty of keeping track of so many passwords leads many people to choose simple, memorable phrases—though these are also easily cracked.
Even though experts have repeatedly warned about the risks of using simple passwords, millions of people still rely on easily guessable combinations like “qwerty123”. This password is not only among the most common in countries like the Netherlands, Finland, and Canada, but it also remains popular in India.
The word “password” itself is another frequently used choice. It ranks as the second most common password in India and is the most popular in countries like Australia and the UK. In India, passwords often combine simplicity with local personalization, such as “Indya123” instead of “India123”. Other commonly used passwords include “admin” and “abcd1234”, reflecting a continued preference for easy-to-remember patterns.
Password Vulnerabilities and Security Recommendations
The study revealed that almost 78% of the world’s most common passwords can be cracked in less than a second, a significant increase from 70% last year. Corporate passwords are equally vulnerable, with many businesses still relying on default passwords such as “newmember” and “temppass,” which significantly contribute to security breaches.
Experts suggest enhancing security by using strong, unique passwords that incorporate a mix of characters, along with enabling multi-factor authentication. Additionally, utilizing password managers can help securely store and manage complex passwords.
Top 20 most used passwords in the world
123456
123456789
12345678
password
qwerty123
qwerty1
1111111
12345
secret
123123
1234567890
1234567
000000
qwerty
abc123
password1
iloveyou
11111111
Dragon
