UK's Most Used Passwords Revealed Amid Cybersecurity Concerns
NordPass's annual ranking of the top 200 passwords shows that 'admin' is the UK's most-used password, followed by '123456' in second place. The top 20 passwords are dominated by simple words, numbers, and various versions of the word "password." Globally, 'admin' is also the most common password in Australia, the US, and Germany, while '123456' remains the most popular worldwide.
About 80% of data breaches involve weak, reused, or compromised passwords, highlighting ongoing warnings on the importance of good password hygiene. Passwords that are easy to guess can be cracked within seconds using dictionary attacks, and reusing passwords across different sites increases the risk of security breaches.
Research from Virgin Media O2 indicates that approximately four in five people reuse or use nearly identical passwords across their accounts. Experts advise creating long, strong passwords—such as using three random words or a mix of numbers, letters, and symbols—and avoiding the reuse of passwords across accounts.
For important accounts including banks, email, work, and mobile services, it is recommended to update passwords regularly and ensure they are not based on variations of existing words. Using password managers like iCloud Keychain or Google Password Manager can help generate and store complex passwords safely. Additionally, enabling two-factor authentication on all services that offer it provides an extra layer of security.
