A tech expert unveils the top vulnerable passwords for 2024—protect your accounts!
- Replies 15
In the digital age, where our lives are increasingly intertwined with the online world, password security has become a critical concern.
From social media accounts to online banking, we rely on passwords to protect our personal information and assets.
However, the convenience of easy-to-remember passwords can often lead to a compromise in security, making it easier for cybercriminals to gain unauthorised access to our accounts.
Jason Wise, a renowned privacy expert, has recently revealed the top 15 most common passwords for 2024, urging individuals to change their passwords immediately if they find theirs on the list.
These passwords, including 'Qwerty123', '1q2w3e', and 'Q2w3e4r5t', were compiled from real-world data breaches, highlighting the vulnerability of such commonly used passwords.
'To stay safe online, you need secure passwords. The more unique a password, the harder it will be for others to break it,' Wise advised.
He further explains that some of the most common passwords are simple number combinations like '111111', '12345', and '123456'.
Wise strongly discourages using personal information such as dates of birth, names of loved ones, sports teams, cities, or food items as passwords. These are extremely common and easy to guess, making them prime targets for hackers.
‘Considering how many different passwords you need to use daily, it’s understandable to use simple passwords or the same one for everything,’ Wise said.
‘If you are using one of the most common passwords in 2024 or any variant mentioned in this guide, it’s time to change it.’
Cybercriminals often employ a tactic known as a 'brute force attack', which involves software that tries every combination of letters, symbols, and common words to crack credentials.
Weak passwords can be broken in seconds or minutes, leaving your accounts vulnerable to unauthorised access.
'Password theft means once hackers have access to your account, they can steal your personal information, lock you out of your account, or use your account to launch further attacks,' warns ThreatAdvice, a leading security and technology company.
‘Another danger of weak passwords is that they can be easily guessed based on publicly available information,’
Furthermore, Statista reported that nearly half of the respondents to a 2022 Global Study on Password Security believed that security passwords are too weak.
On the other hand, password manager service NordPass also released a 2023 Global Password Security Report, revealing the most popular (and worst) passwords.
Despite the awareness of the need for strong and unique passwords, many people still opt for easy-to-remember ones.
The solution, according to Wise, is to use a password generator. These tools create longer, harder-to-guess passwords using a random series of numbers, letters, and special characters.
While these generated passwords are more secure, they can be challenging to remember.
This is where password managers come in. They securely store all your passwords, so you only need to remember one master password.
If you are interested in levelling up your password game, you might want to try some of the most popular password managers, including LastPass, KeePass, NordPass, RoboForm, and Dashlane.
While it may be tempting to use simple, easy-to-remember passwords, the risk of being hacked is significantly higher.
By using a password generator and manager, you can ensure that your online accounts are secure, protecting your personal information from cybercriminals.
Remember, your password is the first line of defence against cyber threats. Make it strong, unique, and secure. Stay safe online, members! Let us know in the comments if you've changed your password after reading this article.
From social media accounts to online banking, we rely on passwords to protect our personal information and assets.
However, the convenience of easy-to-remember passwords can often lead to a compromise in security, making it easier for cybercriminals to gain unauthorised access to our accounts.
Jason Wise, a renowned privacy expert, has recently revealed the top 15 most common passwords for 2024, urging individuals to change their passwords immediately if they find theirs on the list.
These passwords, including 'Qwerty123', '1q2w3e', and 'Q2w3e4r5t', were compiled from real-world data breaches, highlighting the vulnerability of such commonly used passwords.
Privacy expert Jason Wise suggests using a password generator and manager to safely protect your accounts from cybercriminals. Image: Freepik
'To stay safe online, you need secure passwords. The more unique a password, the harder it will be for others to break it,' Wise advised.
He further explains that some of the most common passwords are simple number combinations like '111111', '12345', and '123456'.
Wise strongly discourages using personal information such as dates of birth, names of loved ones, sports teams, cities, or food items as passwords. These are extremely common and easy to guess, making them prime targets for hackers.
‘Considering how many different passwords you need to use daily, it’s understandable to use simple passwords or the same one for everything,’ Wise said.
‘If you are using one of the most common passwords in 2024 or any variant mentioned in this guide, it’s time to change it.’
Cybercriminals often employ a tactic known as a 'brute force attack', which involves software that tries every combination of letters, symbols, and common words to crack credentials.
Weak passwords can be broken in seconds or minutes, leaving your accounts vulnerable to unauthorised access.
'Password theft means once hackers have access to your account, they can steal your personal information, lock you out of your account, or use your account to launch further attacks,' warns ThreatAdvice, a leading security and technology company.
‘Another danger of weak passwords is that they can be easily guessed based on publicly available information,’
Furthermore, Statista reported that nearly half of the respondents to a 2022 Global Study on Password Security believed that security passwords are too weak.
On the other hand, password manager service NordPass also released a 2023 Global Password Security Report, revealing the most popular (and worst) passwords.
The top vulnerable passwords in 2024 according to a tech expert. Source: Privacy Expert Jason Wise
Despite the awareness of the need for strong and unique passwords, many people still opt for easy-to-remember ones.
The solution, according to Wise, is to use a password generator. These tools create longer, harder-to-guess passwords using a random series of numbers, letters, and special characters.
While these generated passwords are more secure, they can be challenging to remember.
This is where password managers come in. They securely store all your passwords, so you only need to remember one master password.
If you are interested in levelling up your password game, you might want to try some of the most popular password managers, including LastPass, KeePass, NordPass, RoboForm, and Dashlane.
While it may be tempting to use simple, easy-to-remember passwords, the risk of being hacked is significantly higher.
By using a password generator and manager, you can ensure that your online accounts are secure, protecting your personal information from cybercriminals.
Remember, your password is the first line of defence against cyber threats. Make it strong, unique, and secure. Stay safe online, members! Let us know in the comments if you've changed your password after reading this article.
.png){kind=icon}
to remember for me. I absolutely love this joke that was on the joke thread-“A scammer called my Grandma and said he had all her passwords. She got a pen and paper then said, thank goodness for that, what are they?”
