We’ve all heard the warnings about using weak passwords, but many of us still fall into the trap of using easy-to-guess combinations. We’ve researched some of the most common passwords so you know what to avoid!
Using strong passwords is vital to protect your accounts and data. However, many of us have fallen into the trap of using easily-guessable passwords in order to make them easy to remember. By doing this, we make our data vulnerable to cyber criminals. We’ve found out about the most common passwords in the UK and advise on how to make them more secure.
Number Sequences
123456 is the number one password used in the UK. Other common number sequences include counting backwards, in multiples of two, or adding ‘123’ at the end of a word. Using passwords like these are least secure and can be cracked in less than one second by experienced cyber criminals.
If you use numbers in your passwords, use a random order rather than a sequence to make them more secure.
Adjacent Keyboard Keys
Key combinations you can type by moving your finger across the keyboard such as qwerty or asdfgh are chosen as passwords as they are quick to type. However, this makes them a common choice and therefore easy to guess. Key combinations should be random or a random combination of words to make passwords more secure.
Family & Pet Names
Family names are another favourite password pick. While these may seem unique to us, cybercriminals have access to vast databases of common names, making them easy to crack. If you choose to use a family name as a password, you should combine it with other random words, as well as numbers and punctuation marks.
Football Teams
Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea all feature in the top 20 UK passwords for 2023 making them an easy target for hackers. If you want to pay homage to your favourite football team in your password, as with family names, you should combine it with other random words, as well as numbers and punctuation marks.
Generic Passwords
Generic words such as 'password' or 'admin' should never be used to secure your accounts. Although they are memorable, these are easily cracked by cybercriminals within seconds. You should use other words or phrases that are far less obvious, and combine them with other words, letters, numbers and punctuation.
Using a strong password and combining it with MFA is the best way to protect your accounts and their data. Strong passwords should be a combination of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Try using a random word generator, or password manager software to help you remember your complex passwords. Contact us for advice on password security and improving your business's cyber security.
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About Carrera UK
Carrera UK provide IT support, IT services, and telecoms to small businesses in Portsmouth & Southampton in Hampshire, and across the South of England.
We offer a complete suite of IT and telecoms service solutions for small and medium-sized businesses, including IT support, broadband, home working support, business phones, and websites.
We know how important IT is to your business and we will work hard as your trusted IT and telecom service provider to find the best solutions for you. Our IT support and solutions give you the assurance that your business technology will be robust, reliable, and cost-effective.
