Passwords are literally the keys to unlock our crucial information, and setting up easy passwords is a clear sign of either naivety or plain ignorance. A survey has revealed that there are countless people who use passwords that are extremely easy to guess, thus putting their accounts at unimaginable risk.
Read on to know all about the survey and the importance of strong passwords!
Simple Passwords Leave Your Accounts Vulnerable
The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) conducted a study which examined the public databases of accounts whose passwords had been breached. By analyzing the data thus obtained, the NCSC deduced the words, numbers, and phrases that people used the most.
This study was conducted by Ipsos MORI, to help reveal the flaws and drawbacks in cyber-knowledge and gain insight on which passwords left internet users vulnerable to invasion and hacking.
Apparently, there are about 4.4 billion internet users and 3.5 billion social media users, of which, 3.3 billion people access their social media accounts through their mobile phones.
Most Frequently Used Passwords
In more than 23 million passwords was a combination of the numbers ‘123456’ followed by ‘123456789.’ these are the passwords which topped the list of top ten most frequently used passwords. Standing third in line is ‘qwerty’, and ‘password’ stands fourth. The fifth most used password is 111111.
People have also used names and words in their passwords, of which ‘Ashley’, ‘Michael’, ‘Daniel’, ‘Jessica’, and ‘Charlie’ are frequented the most. People are also using words such as ‘Liverpool’, ‘Chelsea’ as well.
Ian Levy, technical director of the NCSC said, “Nobody should protect sensitive data with something that can be guessed, like their first name, local football team or favorite band.”
Security expert, Troy Hunt explained that setting strong passwords is the “single biggest control” that people have over their crucial and personal data.
What is a Strong Password?
As per McAfee, the popular security firm, people use simpler passwords for the many accounts that they use daily, however, what they do not realize is that in the long run, setting up simple passwords makes them all the more exposed for hacking.
McAfee recommends people to not use the same passwords for multiple accounts. Also, include uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols in your passwords.
McAfee also suggests that, “Simplify your life by using a password manager to keep track of logins and create strong passwords that are difficult to hack.”
Here is a list of the top ten most frequently used passwords:
- 123456
- 123456789
- qwerty
- Password
- 111111
- 12345678
- abc123
- 1234567
- password1
- 12345
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