It has been six years since VPN service NordVPN began its research into the most frequently used passwords following various data breaches, and the situation remains as troubling as when the investigation first began.
Each year, this company dives into the dark web to uncover passwords that have been compromised by malware or exposed through security incidents, and the findings for this year are just as grim…
NordVPN reports that it has scrutinized a massive 2.5TB of sensitive data from 44 different countries.
In collaboration with NordStellar, we conducted a thorough review and analysis of a 2.5TB database sourced from various publicly accessible locations, including those on the dark web. Importantly, no personal data was collected or bought to facilitate this research.
The data was categorized to analyze it based on geographic origin. We focused exclusively on statistical information, ensuring that no personal details of internet users were included in our findings.
The analysis concentrated on passwords that were either stolen by malware or revealed during data breaches. In many cases, these passwords were leaked alongside email addresses, which permitted us to differentiate between corporate and personal credentials by examining the domain names.
Using a password manager has never been simpler, providing a way to create strong, unique passwords for every website and service, yet the current list of the top 10 most common passwords still looks like this:
Even the password ranked 200th on the list is ‘letmein’…
Apple has consistently provided password management options across its devices, from the initial Keychain app to the current standalone Passwords app that debuted in iOS 18.
Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash
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