Laptop computer with password comment box popping out of the screen

UK’s most common passwords have been revealed

A list of UK’s most common passwords was published together with the NCSC’s first “UK cyber survey.” Experts have seen, in Britain, people don’t seem to care much about the security of their online accounts.

According to the NCSC’s “UK Cyber Survey,” 42% of Britons expect losing money to online fraud. Just a quick note…“123456” was the password used by 23.2 million victim accounts globally.

The most used password in the world, according to password management provider NordPass, is “password,” which is followed by its variants, such as “Password1” and “Password123.” It replaced “123456” as the nation’s preferred internet security chocolate teapot from the previous year.

In addition to “qwerty” and “abc123,” other frequently used key combinations that rank highly on the list include “abc” and “12345678.” A large number of us are also comfortable using passwords that are if possible.

In the 2022 password standings, Liverpool surpassed its current Premier League status, showing the popularity of both names and sports teams.

The 100,000 passwords that are used the most often and have been accessed by threat actors in worldwide cyber breaches have been the focus of independent investigation published by the NCSC.

Most Common Password Used by celebrities
Most common Password Used by celebrities (NCSC)

There are, however, some indications that we’re becoming savvier when it comes to protecting our accounts, even though this list of passwords might make you shake your head.

Mitigation

As more individuals use security measures like multifactor authentication, NordPass claimed that the sample of passwords available for its research was fewer than normal this year.

This is when users log in to their accounts using authentication applications on their phones, which often now have hardware features like face recognition, SMS messaging, and backup email addresses.

Users may log in to their accounts using authentication applications on their phones, which often now involve hardware features like face recognition, text messaging, and backup email addresses, or by utilising other methods like social media.

According to Ieva Soblickaite, chief product officer of NordPass:

With broader adoption of this technology, passwords are simply losing their value. Even if you hack a password, you cannot complete the identity authentication if the user has MFA enabled.

After the results of UK’s most common passwords revealed exploitable holes in their awareness of personal security, Brits have been recommended to take steps to remain secure online.

People may check on Have I Been Pwned to see whether they have accounts that have been hacked in a data breach.

By raising awareness of how attackers utilise simple passwords or those stolen from breaches, the NCSC hopes to lower the risk of future breaches and can help developers and system administrators secure their users.

Help your colleagues keep a security-first mindset and boost your human firewall by starting your Phishing Tackle security awareness training today with our two-week free trial.

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