Do you know how hard your password is to crack? Data suggests that having 6 or fewer characters in your password makes it crackable in less than 5 seconds! No matter what letter/number/symbol variations you include.
Brute-Forcing
Brute-forcing is when an attacker tries out all possible character combinations until they find the correct password. This is a lengthy process, so often databases of commonly used passwords are cycled through first.
Commonly used passwords to avoid!
A 2023 study found a list of the most common passwords used this year. Below are a few high up on the list that we recommend you avoid:
- 123456
- admin
- password
- Aa123456
- qwerty
- abc123
The NordPass study notes that “123456” has been the world’s most common password for the last five years. This passowrd has been documented as being used frequently for email accounts, streaming services, and online shopping.
Avoid any combination of your or a family member’s initials and birthday, as these can be easy to crack… And avoid your favorite sports team, too. Three of the top 10 passwords reported in the UK were “chelsea”, “arsenal”, and “liverpool”, and Spain had “barcelona” in their top 10. Through social engineering, attackers can put together a profile on you, and may be able to guess your password based on their findings.
