Most Popular Passwords of 2020 Revealed

After analyzing nearly 275.7 million passwords, NordPass has published a list of the most commonly used passwords for online accounts in 2020. The top five spots were taken by combinations like “123456789,” “picture1,” “password,” and “12345678.” The most popular password turned out to be “123456,” which was hacked more than 23 million times in 2020 alone.

The shorter password “12345” held the top spot last year. However, over 188,000 users chose it this year, putting it in eighth place. Both passwords can be cracked in less than a second.

NordPass reported that less than half of the passwords on the 2020 list are new. Analysts noted that users prefer simple passwords because they are easier to remember. For convenience, many people use curse words, numbers, names, and food items to protect their accounts.

People also often use the names of bands, movies, cartoons, and other pop culture references as passwords. These combinations are also considered insecure. NordPass pointed out that the most popular password in 2019 was the name of the music group “onedirection.” Now, passwords like “pokemon” and “blink-182” have surpassed it in popularity.