Breached passwords: The most frequently used and compromised passwords of the year

Introduction

Passwords should be secret, so why do so many people wind up using the same popular passwords? The truth is, no one sets out to choose a password that is dangerously common or insecure. Instead, they most likely don’t realize the risk of using a common password or don’t know how to create — and protect — a strong password. 

But before users learn how to make a strong password, they should know what makes a password weak. Only then will they understand how to avoid the common security pitfalls that lead to leaked passwords and breached accounts. 

Let’s take a look at some of the most common (i.e, least secure) passwords and how to determine if yours was breached. 

What are the most commonly breached passwords of 2020?

We’re taught to choose passwords that are obscure and hard to crack, which is why it may come as a surprise that many people use the same popular passwords. And in the world of cybersecurity, popular means insecure. Here are some of the most popular passwords of 2020: 

Sponsorships Available

Sponsorships Available

Sponsorships Available

1. 123456
2. 123456789
3. qwerty
4. password
5. 1234567
6. 12345678
7. 12345
8. iloveyou
9. 111111
10. 123123

As you can tell, there is a method to the madness behind lazy passwords. Strings of sequential numbers and simple phrases like “iloveyou” and “password” top the list. 

Has your password been breached? Find out on Have I Been Pwned

There’s an easy way to find out if your password was hacked: look it up on Have I Been Pwned. Start by simply typing your password into this user-friendly site. Next, Have I Been Pwned will scour its database of breached passwords to see if yours appears in the hoard of stolen log-in credentials. 

To date, Have I Been Pwned has information on 10,093,204,490 “pwned accounts” (Read more...)