Worst passwords of 2021 revealed, now make sure yours is not on this list

We’ve all got far too many online accounts and remembering your password for Netflix, online banking and your weekly Tesco shop can be a real headache. With endless accounts being accessed every day it can be easy to slip into bad habits by using a password that’s ludicrously simple to hack.

Despite endless warnings from security experts, it appears many of us still aren’t taking our passwords seriously and not heeding the advice could leave personal data at serious risk of attack.

It might be hard to believe but according to the team at NordPass the most used password in 2021 is the ridiculously basic code “123456”.

This is followed by something just as guessable with “password” coming in second place. Also coming in the top 10 is “qwerty”, “abc123” and “Liverpool.”

These simple codes are simple for hackers to crack and if you are using anything similar you must change it right away.

NordPass says that people are risking their data falling into the hands of cyber thieves by using poor passwords as most of the codes in the top 20 can all be cracked in under a second.

Here’s a full list of the worst and most popular passwords in the UK

• 123456

• password

• liverpool

• password1

• 123456789

• 12345

• qwerty

• liverpool1

• charlie

• arsenal

• chelsea

• abc123

• 12345678

• football

• monkey

• arsenal1

• 1234567

• chocolate

• rangers

• 123123

Speaking about the latest research, Jonas Karklys, CEO of NordPass, said: “Unfortunately, passwords keep getting weaker and people still don’t maintain proper password hygiene.

“It’s important to understand that passwords are the gateway to our digital lives, and with us spending more and more time online, it’s becoming enormously important to take better care of our cybersecurity.”

For those who don’t know, NordPass is a password management system that first launched in 2019. It’s designed to help users organise their passwords and secure notes, keeping them in a single place — an encrypted password vault. By keeping everything in a vault secured by a single password… users can create a unique, super-strong alphanumeric password for every online account. NordPass is available for free, although a paid subscription version is available too

Top tips on how to keep your password safe

• If you found your password on the list, make sure to change it to a unique and strong one. Ideally, use a password generator online or in your password manager app to create a truly complex password.

• Store your passwords in a password manager. Nowadays, an average person has around 100 accounts, so it would be impossible to remember all the passwords if they are indeed unique and complex. Password managers are a great solution for that, but make sure to use a trustworthy, reliable, and, ideally, third-party audited provider.

• Use multi-factor authentication. Whether it’s biometric authentication, a phone message, or physical key, it’s always a good idea to add an extra security layer on top of your password.