The most common passwords in India and how long it takes to crack them

• Having a strong password is important to ensure your money and data is safe.
• People often use weak passwords as they are easier to remember.
• Here are some tips to make sure that your password is strong and secure.

In an increasingly digitised world, the importance of passwords has surged as a critical safeguard for data and privacy. From online banking to social media platforms, a strong password keeps our personal information secure.

However, people often make the mistake of choosing weak passwords as they are easier to remember. This also makes it easier for others to breach your account, gaining access to your money or data.

NordPass, a password manager developed by NordVPN, has released its latest report on most commonly used passwords. The 2023 report highlights the commonly used passwords in India and how long it would take for hackers to crack them.

The below passwords have been extracted from publicly available databases, meaning these are the passwords that were leaked in security breaches.

Most commonly used passwords in India

Source: NordPass

The password “123456” is a clear favourite among Indians and has emerged 3,63,265 times. It takes less than a second to crack it. The next two commonly used passwords include “admin” and “12345678”, which also take less than a second to crack.

The most secure password in the commonly used passwords list is “Admin@123”, which makes use of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, symbols and numbers. This was used by 22,646 people and takes around a year to crack.

Tips for a strong password

Create long and complex passwords

To ensure that you select a strong password for your accounts, use a long and complex password that uses a combination of upper and lowercase letters, number and symbols.

Avoid reusing passwords

One of the most important things that you need to remember is that you should not reuse your passwords. Ensure that your passwords are unique so that a breach on a single account does not affect your other accounts.

Password managers

Another simple method to securely store your passwords is to use a password manager. In addition to storing your passwords, some of the password managers also allow you to generate and store unique passwords that are difficult to crack.

Some popular and trusted password managers include 1Password, LastPass, NordPass and Enpass, among others.

Start using passkeys

A lot of websites are now offering the option to access your accounts with passkeys instead of a traditional password. While passkeys may not completely replace passwords just yet, their usage is on the rise, with companies like WhatsApp also adopting them.

Do not write down or store your passwords

One of the common mistakes that people make is to write down their passwords in a paper or a word document on their computer. It makes your passwords vulnerable to anyone who gets their hands on these documents.

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