NordPass, NordVPN’s password manager, has released a report on the most used passwords around the world. Their finding is alarming: “Weak passwords are still used by most people to protect their accounts.” Most of the chosen passwords are indeed extremely easy to find, especially for hacking software that alternately tries password combinations until it finds the right one. Number sequences are very popular, for example, although it is possible to hack them in less than a second, according to Version Femina.
In order to effectively protect your personal data, it is also imperative not to reuse your passwords for several accounts, even if your default access key is extremely complex. Indeed, you would risk much greater damage if you get hacked. It is also advisable to keep an eye on your different accounts and delete those that you no longer use.
For a password to be strong, it must be at least 12 characters long, include uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers and special characters. Faced with this long list of criteria, it can be tempting to have your passwords automatically generated by your computer, for example. Nevertheless, an inconsistent sequence of characters remains very difficult to remember, and it is strongly advised not to write down and keep your passwords.
In order to create an effective password yourself, there are a few tips. In particular, you can think of a sentence and use the first elements of each word, as well as abbreviations, to compose your access key. A little imagination and you’re done! An example: “I’m doing the dishes on Tuesday” then becomes “Js82c0rVv(em@rdi!”).
Find below the ranking of the 20 most common passwords in France in 2022, to change immediately!