Create a Strong Password for your Account

Protect Your accounts with a strong password

Passwords are an important part of protecting your online accounts and personal information. But many people continue to use passwords that are easy for criminals to guess or crack.

NordPass' 2024 research found that many of the world's most commonly used passwords are simple number sequences, keyboard patterns, and common words. In fact, 78% of the world's most common passwords could be cracked in less than a second.

Creating strong, unique passwords — and using additional security features when available — can help protect your accounts from unauthorized access.

What are the most common passwords?

NordPass' 2024 research found that “123456” was the most commonly used password worldwide. Other frequently used passwords included “123456789,” “password,” “qwerty123,” and “qwerty.”

In the United States, “secret” ranked as the most common password, followed by “123456,” and “password.”

These passwords may be easy to remember, but their predictability can also make them easier for criminals to crack.

Common Password Trends to Avoid

NordPass' research identified several patterns among commonly used passwords:

• Number and keyboard sequences, such as “123456789” and “qwerty”
• Common words, including “password”
• Sports references, such as “football” and “baseball”
• Names and familiar words, including terms such as “princess,” “monkey,” and “sunshine”

Avoid using these types of predictable patterns when creating your passwords.

Why is Password Reuse Risky?

Using the same password for multiple accounts can increase your risk if one of those accounts is compromised.

Criminals may attempt to use stolen credentials from one account to gain access to other accounts where you've used the same username and password.

The NordPass research also found that 40% of the most common passwords used for personal and business accounts were the same, reinforcing the importance of creating a unique password for every account.

How to Create Stronger Passwords

A few simple practices can help strengthen your account security.

1. Create a long password or passphrase.
NordPass recommends passwords of at least 20 characters. Consider using a random combination of letters, numbers, and special characters or a long passphrase made up of unrelated words.

2. Use a unique password for every account.
Don't reuse passwords. If one account is compromised, a unique password can help prevent the same credentials from being used to access your other accounts.

3. Avoid personal or predictable information.
Don't rely on common words, birthdays, names, or simple number and keyboard sequences that may be easier to guess.

4. Consider using a password manager.
A reputable password manager can generate and securely store complex, unique passwords, reducing the number of passwords you need to remember.

5. Use passkeys when available.
Passkeys provide an alternative to traditional passwords and are increasingly supported by online service providers.

6. Enable multi-factor authentication.
When available, multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds another layer of protection by requiring an additional form of verification beyond your password.

Final tips for password security

Keep these recommendations in mind when protecting your online accounts:

• Make passwords long and difficult to predict.
• Use a different password for every account.
• Avoid common words, number sequences and keyboard patterns.
• Don't use easily guessed personal information.
• Consider using a reputable password manager.
• Use passkeys and multi-factor authentication when available.

Strong password habits can help reduce the risk of unauthorized access and better protect your personal and financial information.