NORDPASS, a password management company, recently revealed 200 of the world's most common passwords. While the global trend has changed to using "password" as their preferred password, Malaysians continue to choose the numeric password "123456" for the second year in a row.
The study also examined password usage patterns by gender in 30 different countries and global trends in password creation. For the first time, NordPass also looked at the influence of popular culture trends on our password selections.
Despite continuous warnings about the consequences of irresponsible password management, internet users were found guilty again.
Below are the 10 most common passwords in Malaysia:
l 123456
l password
l 1234
l 123456789
l vip
l 12345
l 12345678
l abcd1234
l 1234567890
l abc123
Seventy-three per cent of the 200 most popular passwords in 2022 are the same as those in 2021, and 83 per cent of them can be cracked in less than a second.
Although "password" is the most used password globally (used over 4.9 million times), it ranks second in Malaysia. However, variations such as "P@ssw0rd" and "Password1" are also trending among internet users in Malaysia.
To better secure your passwords, consider the following:
1. Keep track of all accounts in your possession. To avoid gaps in password management, experts recommend deleting unused accounts.
2. Make long, unique passwords and never reuse them. The most secure passwords are complex combinations of numbers, uppercase and lowercase letters, and symbols. Remember that if one account is hacked, all other accounts are at risk.
3.Use a password manager. This technological solution fully encrypted passwords stored in the vault and allows for secure sharing. Many cybersecurity incidents occur as a result of simple human error.
Overall, according to the firm, Malaysians show similar trends as those around the world where internet users tend to go for convenience when creating passwords.