The most common passwords used by Americans in 2021 turned out to be highly weak and predictable.

According to the data compiled by Nord Security from 50 countries, many people are still using the same passwords they've been told not to for years. The most-used password in America in 2021 was "123456," which Nord Security said would take a hacker less than one second to crack. This password was used 3,572,081 times last year.

"123456" was also the most common password worldwide in 2020, used more than one hundred million times.

Talking about animal-related passwords, "dolphin" ranked number one in many countries, while "Ferrari" and "Porsche" were the most popular in terms of car brands.

Unfortunately, this is not surprising considering how much people rely on technology in their everyday lives. It has become considerably easy for hackers to find other people's personal information online. As a result, it is necessary to be aware of the risks associated with using weak and predictable passwords in order to protect yourself from potential cyber-attacks.

To help keep your personal information safe and secure, Nord Security recommended a password containing 12 characters, comprising a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.

Top 50 most common passwords used by Americans in 2021

  • football123456
  • 123456
  • 123456789
  • password
  • abc123
  • 12345678
  • qwerty
  • 111111
  • 1234567
  • 1234
  • iloveyou
  • sunshine
  • monkey
  • 1234567890
  • 123123
  • princess
  • baseball
  • Dragon
  • football
  • shadow
  • Michael
  • soccer
  • maggie
  • 000000
  • Ashley
  • myspace1
  • purple
  • charlie
  • Jordan
  • hunter
  • superman
  • trigger
  • Michelle
  • buster
  • pepper
  • Justin
  • Andrew
  • Harley
  • Matthew
  • bailey
  • Jennifer
  • Samantha
  • ginger
  • Anthony
  • qwerty123
  • qwerty1
  • peanut
  • shadow
  • Michael
  • soccer
  • peanut

How to choose a password that will be tough to crack?

There are a few key things to keep in mind when choosing a password that can't be easily compromised:

1. Make it long: The longer the password, the more difficult it is to crack. A good password should be at least 8 characters in length.

2. Use a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols: Using a mix of different characters makes it more difficult for hackers to guess your password.

3. Avoid using personal information: Using personal information like your birthdate or your mother's maiden name makes it easier for hackers to guess your password.

4. Change your password regularly: Changing your password frequently helps to keep your account more secure.

5. Use a password manager: Using a password manager can assist you in keeping your passwords organized.

Things to avoid when choosing a password

One of the most common security risks includes using such passwords that can be easily guessed by others. This generally happens when people set up passwords based on personal information, such as birth date or mother's maiden name. Other common risks include using the same password for multiple accounts and not changing passwords regularly.

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