Consumers are still protecting their data with simple passwords that are infamous for being easy to crack, according to this year’s list. For example, NordPass found that millions of people are still using “password" and “123456” as passwords. The firm said the latter has been breached more than 23 million times. 

Many people may choose variations of the number bar because it’s quick and easy to type, but research has found that these frequently used passwords take less than a second to crack. Combinations of adjacent keys, such as “asdfghjkl” or “qwertyuiop,” have also been found to be highly vulnerable to cracking. 

Worst passwords of 2020

NordPass’s full list contains 200 of the most commonly used passwords, ranked by metrics such as how many times each password has been exposed and how long it would take an unauthorized party to crack it. 

Below are the top 20 worst passwords of the year. 

• 123456

• 123456789

• picture1

• password

• 12345678

• 111111

• 123123

• 12345

• 1234567890

• senha

• 1234567

• qwerty

• abc123

• Million2

• 000000

• 1234

• iloveyou

• aaron431

• password1

• qqww1122

Protecting your data

To keep sensitive data from being exposed, NordPass recommends making sure all passwords are unique and complex. This can be made easier through the use of a password manager or a third-party service like LastPass or Apple’s iCloud Keychain. 

NordPass also suggests enabling two-factor authentication when possible and deleting any old or inactive accounts.