From 'bigbasket' to 'googledummy', these are the most commonly used passwords in India

• People often use common passwords that are easy to remember, leaving themselves vulnerable.
• A strong and unique password is necessary in this digital world.
• Here’s a look at some of the most common passwords in India and how easily they can be cracked.

Passwords are becoming more and more important in this digital world and we have to remember several passwords for social media platforms, emails, e-commerce websites, bank accounts and more, making it a tiresome process.

The number of platforms that require you to use a password makes the process of selecting a unique password very difficult and people usually end up using simple or common passwords such as their spouse’s name, their birth date, parents name or their pet’s name, making it extremely easy for people familiar with them to guess these passwords.

Apart from the above-mentioned passwords, people often use passwords that are easy to remember. At the same time, these are quite easy to crack, making them useless in most cases.

According to a report by NordPass, a password manager developed by NordVPN, here are the most commonly used passwords in India in 2022. The company has worked in partnership with independent researchers to evaluate a 3TB database to identify these trends.

Most common passwords in India in 2022

password

“password” is one of those words that most users may think of when entering a password on any platform. This isn’t something unique as 34,90,216 users in the country have used it as their password. It is so common that it takes less than a second for an attacker to crack it.

123456

Another password that is quite common is “123456” and users often use it on many of their accounts as it is quite easy to recall and does not require any effort. This is used by 1,66,757 users and takes less than a second to be cracked.

12345678

Some people think increasing the length of their password and using “12345678” instead of “123456” may make it unique, but that’s not the case as it has been used by 1,14,073 users and again, takes less than a second to be cracked.

bigbasket

Easily one of the most surprising results from the report, 75,081 users have used “bigbasket” as a password, which can actually be cracked in 5 minutes. While an odd pick, it looks like even this password is quite common and can be easily cracked.

123456789

Another password that we may often consider is “123456789”. Despite being quite long, it is quite simple. The password has been used 30,424 times and can be cracked in less than a second.

pass@123

“pass@123” uses a combination of a symbol, number and alphabets, making you believe that it is good enough. It has been used by 20,792 users and, as per the report, can be cracked in just 2 seconds, making it as useless as “123456”.

1234567890

If you thought adding a 0 at the end and using “1234567890” would make it secure, you are in for a surprise. This password has been used by 14,715 users and can be cracked in less than a second.

anmol123

Anmol certainly appears to be a common name in India, as this is the only name to have made it to the list of passwords. The password “anmol123” has been used by 10,143 users. While it may look simple, it takes around 17 minutes to be cracked, making it a slightly more secure password compared to others on the list.

abcd1234

Another combination that is often used is “abcd1234”. It has been used by 8,941 users and can be cracked in less than a second.

googledummy

Another unusual password on the list is “googledummy”. It has been used by 8,435 users and takes 23 minutes to be cracked, making it the most difficult password to crack on the list of the most common passwords.

If you have used these passwords on any of your accounts, we recommend you to change them immediately.

How to ensure your password is secure

Use long and complex passwords

The easiest method to select a strong password for your accounts is to use a long and complex password that uses a combination of upper and lowercase letters, number and symbols.

Password managers

One of the easiest methods to securely store your passwords is to use a password manager. In addition to storing your passwords, some of the applications also allow you to generate and store unique passwords that are quite difficult to crack.

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

Do not reuse passwords

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

Change passwords regularly

It is recommended that you regularly change your passwords, especially for important accounts such as your bank account, email, social media and more.

Do not write down or store your password on your devices

One of the most common mistakes that people make is to write down their passwords in a paper or a word document on their computer and save it. It makes your passwords vulnerable as anyone who gets their hands on these documents can access all your accounts.

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