CyberSecurity Article – 15 (Data Breaches By Using Common Passwords | Millions of people at risk)

CyberSecurity Article – 15 (Data Breaches By Using Common Passwords | Millions of People At Risk)

In this age of Advanced Technology where cyberattacks are becoming more sophisticated and hackers are continuously working 24/7 to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information, it is surprising to know that despite knowing the risks involved, people are still using common passwords that are easy to Guess & Crack.

Millions of people around the world are continuing to use passwords such as “12345” and “password” despite the increasing risk of data breaches and cyberattacks.

This is a real concern as weak passwords are easy to guess or crack using automated tools, leaving accounts vulnerable to unauthorized access and sensitive data at risk of being stolen or compromised.

The password “123456” was the most commonly used password with “123456789”, “qwerty”, “password” and “12345” all featuring in the top five.

Top 10 most common passwords:

1. (123456) | 2. (123456789) | 3. (qwerty) | 4. (password) | 5. (12345) | 6. (qwerty123) | 7. (1q2w3e) 

8. (12345678) | 9. (111111) | 10. (1234567890)

* Alex was found to be the most popular name, millions of people featuring it in their passwords.

Some Data breaches by the use of weak and easily guessable passwords:

  • Equifax (2017): In one of the largest data breaches in history, hackers gained access to the personal information of over 147 million Equifax customers including their names, birth dates, Social Security numbers, and more. The breach was caused in part by the company's failure to update a vulnerable open-source software component and also by the use of weak and easily guessable passwords by some employees.
  • LinkedIn (2012): In 2012, LinkedIn suffered a major data breach that resulted in the theft of over 167 million user account credentials including email addresses and hashed passwords. The passwords were not salted making them easier to crack and many of them were weak and easily guessable such as "12345" and "password".
  • Yahoo (2013-2014): Yahoo experienced multiple data breaches between 2013 and 2014 that resulted in the theft of over 3 billion user accounts. The breaches were caused by a combination of factors including a failure to encrypt sensitive data, weak security practices and the use of weak and easily guessable passwords by some users.
  • MyFitnessPal (2018): In 2018, the fitness tracking app MyFitnessPal suffered a data breach that resulted in the theft of over 150 million user accounts including email addresses and hashed passwords. The passwords were salted and hashed but many of them were weak and easily guessable such as "12345" and "password1".

Above are just a few examples of high profile data breaches that have been caused or exacerbated by the use of weak and easily guessable passwords.

In today's digital age where cyberattacks and identity theft are becoming more common, it's crucial that individuals must take password security seriously and use strong & unique passwords for each of their accounts. 

Hence, using a simple password like "12345" is not recommended as it can leave your accounts vulnerable to attack. It's better to use a strong, unique password that includes a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers, and special characters or use password managers like NordPass to simplify the process to avoid reusing passwords across multiple accounts.

It is essential for individuals to prioritize online security and take proactive measures to protect personal and sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands.

Thank you.

Regards

Sunil Kumar

Member - EC- Council - International Advisory Board

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