The "50 Most Common Passwords" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading an article that listed the most common passwords that people use to open whatever they may have secretly created.  Article said that if you use one of the most common passwords, you're an easy target for hackers.  So...just in case, here's how to stay safe.  First...stop me if this sounds familiar:  You're setting up (yet another) online account when you're prompted to enter a password.  It's just easier to go with one of your most common passwords, am I right?  Maybe you'll include the word "password" in there - no chance of forgetting that! -  and "123" if numbers are required.  Or perhaps you go with your kid's or pet's name and an easy-to-remember date, like a birthday or anniversary.  Done..and...done.  NOT SO FAST!  If a password is frequently resued or easy to guess, bad actors can more easily gain access to email, banking and social media accounts, resulting in identity theft and financial loss.  Recent examples, like the Microsoft and 23and Me breaches, illustrate the consequences of weak password use, with attackers employing password-spraying and credential-stuffing attacks using easily guessed or reduced credentials respectively."  Easy-to-remember passwords are convenient, but their potential downsides can be devastating.  A weak and predictable password is easy to crack.  Hackers may use software that guesses the most common passwords, and other freely available tools on the dark web (a hidden part of the internet notorious for criminal activity) may comb through your social media profiles to look for important names and dates that are likely to appear in your password.  Even if your password is long and strong, using the same one is a bad idea.  If a company experiences a data breach - which happens more often than you may realize - cybercriminals won't just have access to one of your accounts; they'll be able to access many.  Makes sense, no?  Unfortunately, the logic hasn't convinced most of us to use unique, complex passwords.  The importance of selecting strong passwords is clear...right?  It begs the question:  What is the most common password in the world?  After all, if you know hackers' first guess, you can avoid it at all costs.  As a surprise to no one, perhaps, the most common password is 123456, according to Nord Security, a company that makes cybersecurity products, including NordVPN virtual private network software to browse the web anonymously and a password manager app called NordPass. So, I will list the 50 most common passwords so that you may choose NOT to use any of them for yourself:  123456, admin, 12345678, 123456789, 1234, 12345, password, 123, Aa123456, 1234567890, 1234567, 123123, 111111, Password, 12345678910, 000000, admin123, 1111, P@assw0rd, root, 654321, qwerty, Pass@123, 112233, 102030, bunt, abc123, Aa@123456, abcd1234, 1q2w3e4r, 123321, qwertyuiop, 87654321, Eliska81, 123123123, 11223344, 0987654321, demo, 12341234, qwerty123, Admin@123, 1q2w3e4r5t, 11111111, pass, Demo@123, azerty, admintelecom, Admin, 123meklozed.  So there you have the 50 most common passwords.  If at all possible, don't use any of them for you have to realize that if someone wants to solve your password to get into your information...they will most certainly try each of those 50 passwords to get into your account.  Now...I also found another list of most used passwords from NordPass, but many are the same as I already listed and I'm sure you aren't ready to look at yet another huge list of passwords.  An increasingly popular alternative to a password is a passkey.  Major tech companies, including Microsoft, Amazon, Apple and Google, have already adopted the technology.  To access a website or app, a passkey relies on a string of encrypted data stored in your phone or laptop and verification from you via a face or fingerprint scan or a PIN code.  "Passkeys also ensure a user-friendly and secure alternative to traditional passwords. Passkeys are device-based authentication methods that do not require the user to remember any credentials, significantly reducing the risk of phishing and credential theft."  Hope some of this helps you escape being hacked!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.