Newly released data from the dark web reveals Australia’s most common passwords, many of which can be hacked in less than a second.
A comprehensive analysis conducted by global password manager NordPass scoured through 10.9 terabytes of publicly available databases, including those on the dark web that cybercriminals exploit to steal identities.
Surprisingly, the most popular password worldwide is once again “123456,” used by a staggering 4.5 million people and easily guessed by hackers in less than a second.
But in Australia, the title of the most common password goes to “banned,” which took just two minutes to crack.
What’s even more concerning is that the least secure passwords tend to be those used for streaming services, likely due to their widespread sharing. However, financial service passwords generally prove to be more secure.
These findings come on the heels of the annual Cyber Threat Report, which reported a 23% increase in cybercrime in Australia compared to the previous year. Shockingly, Australia experiences a reported cybercrime every six minutes, though the actual number is believed to be much higher given that many incidents go unreported.
To ensure your digital security, NordPass recommends creating passwords that are at least 20 characters long, consisting of a mix of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Furthermore, it’s crucial to never reuse the same password for different accounts to minimise the risk of a widespread breach if one account is compromised.
Avoid easily guessable information such as birthdays, names, or common words when crafting strong passwords.
Here are a few alarming examples of Australia’s most common passwords and the time it takes for them to be cracked:
- Banned: 2 minutes
- 123456: less than a second
- Admin: less than a second
- Password: less than a second
- 1234: less than a second
- Qwerty123: less than a second
- 12qwasZX: less than a second
- 12345: less than a second
- 12345678: less than a second
- 1qwerty: less than a second
- Qwerty123: less than a second
- 123456789: less than a second
- Starwars29: 3 seconds
- Welcome11: 2 seconds
- ********: less than a second
- Deadman01: one minute
- Password1: less than a second
- 111111: less than a second
- Password: less than a second
- Abc123: less than a second
Take these tips seriously to create stronger, more secure passwords that will protect your online accounts. You can see the top 200 most common password list by heading to the Nordpass website here.
