Globally, the most common password this year is “password.”
Research shows "guest" overtakes "123456" as No. 1 in the US
In 2022, "guest" overtakes "123456” as the most-used password in the U.S., according to NordPass. Last year’s winner, "123456," also seems to be retaining favor, finishing in second place.
NordPass has just revealed the results of its annual most common password research. This year's study looked into password creation trends worldwide and how password usage differs by gender across 30 researched countries. For the first time, NordPass also analyzed how pop culture trends influence password choices.
The most used passwords are all extremely similar, fairly predictable, and follow the same patterns. Variations of “123456789” are very popular and dominate this list, taking up seven of the ten rankings. In terms of alphabetical passwords, nearly a quarter of Americans use the phrase “qwerty” as an exact or partial match in their passwords.
Below are the 20 most common passwords in the U.S. The full study is available here.
This year, NordPass presented both a global list as well as segregated data for 30 countries worldwide. Gender-specific information is also available on the website.
Here are some lessons we can learn from this top 20 passwords list:
Don’t be surprised if your password made this list. But just because your password isn’t in the top 20 doesn’t mean you’re in the clear either. There are many common password patterns and categories that can make your accounts vulnerable. A recent study analyzed thousands of passwords and identified common categories that show up across the board. The top of the most hacked passwords list includes themes such as:
Hackers will be able to guess your password much more easily if:
If you have easy-to-guess passwords, you might not think you’re a target, but you’re at a higher risk of a data breach. When your password is stolen on one account, hackers can easily access other accounts, including banking and financial information, which can lead to credit card fraud and identity theft.
If you know your passwords are weak, and you’re ready to level up your cybersecurity, you don’t have to do it alone—NordPass’s Password Generator provides an easy way to apply all the rules, tips, and best practices surrounding password generation.