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Based on breached passwords from the National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC), the study (via BGR) revealed the top 20 most commonly hacked password categories that everyone should avoid, along with the number of breached passwords that include words or phrases in that category. The list is as follows: Pet names and terms of endearment were the most commonly used passwords that threat actors hacked, with the study showing that “Love” (1,492), “Baby” (417) and “Angel” (330) being the three top used passwords around the world. the names category also took the spotlight, with the most frequently hacked names being “Sam” (313), “Anna” (300) and “Alex” (240). You’ll also want to stay clear of using “Dog” (345) or “Cat” (265) in your passwords. The NCSC data also showed the five most commonly hacked passwords on the internet, and you may be surprised by how many people still use them.
123456 — 23.2 million users123456789 — 7.7 million usersQwerty — 3.8 million users Password — 3.6 million users 1111111 — 3.1 million users
Large-scale hacks that can lead to fraud, identity theft, and ransom threats happen frequently, and it doesn’t take much for a hacker to bypass simple passwords. Password managers are a great way to keep your credentials in order. They store all your unique passwords in a secure digital vault that can only be accessed by you, and they can generate strong, random passwords — better than the ones found in this study, anyway. With Google finding success in pushing two-factor authentication, it’s a good idea to set up 2FA. If you’re wondering how to do 2FA right, we’ve got you covered.
