Are we still using poor passwords in 2020? Apparently so...

You would think in 2020, decades after the internet was invented and well into the online revolution, we would all have wised up when it comes to passwords and security. 

According to NordPass, this is not the case. In their list of most common passwords of 2020, many of us are still falling very short. 

Online security is vital as more of our important data and transactions happen online. Although many sites ask users to choose strong passwords using specific kinds of of characters at a certain length, it appears many still insist on using something common and simple. 

This opens users up to hackers, even those who are extremely bad at their job, and makes resources like internet banking, social media accounts and other portfolio accounts unsafe. 

NordPass explained that they evaluated a database of 275,699,516 passwords in total. They found people still use easy and convenient passwords rather than using a password protector which can store passwords that are too difficult to remember but are safer from code crackers. 

10 most common passwords (and how long it takes to crack them) 

  1. 123456 (less than a second) 
  2. 123456789 (less than a second) 
  3. picture1 (3 hours) 
  4. password (less than a second) 
  5. 12345678 (less than a second) 
  6. 111111 (less than a second) 
  7. 123123 (less than a second) 
  8. 12345 (less than a second) 
  9. 1234567890 (less than a second) 
  10. senha (10 seconds) 

Using a password manager

A solution for those who are interested in keeping their data safe behind passwords designed to protect properly is a password manager. 

These are third-party applications which can be downloaded on your phone and computer. With these, you set up a profile behind one strong, but memorable, password. 

Every time you need to generate or create a password, you simply use the suggestion given by your password manager and save it. These are incredibly long and random so you will never be able to remember or write it out yourself. 

Find out our best recommendations on popular password managers.



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