Top 20 most common passwords used by Australians in 2021

Aussies with predictable and lazy passwords have been put on notice with a new list by a global cyber security firm revealing the top 20 combinations which hackers can crack in just one second. 

Nord Security data found ‘123456’ was the most used password in Australia during 2021 with the basic security lock being recorded 308,000 times.

The second most common password was the embarrassingly simple ‘password’ – which featured 191,800 times.

Nord Security said even with the most unsophisticated hacker could break these passwords in under one second with a basic software program. 

Aussies with predictable and lazy passwords have been put on notice with a new list by a global cyber security firm revealing the top 20 combinations which hackers can crack in just one second (file image) 

The firm says in order to protect your personal details, users are advised to create a password containing 12 characters with a combination of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.

Another step that is highly recommended is to never use the same password for multiple platforms and devices and to change your combination every 90 days.

‘A single password for multiple accounts is a hacker’s delight,’ the company said.

‘If only one of the accounts is compromised, consider all your other accounts jeopardised.’

Nord Security said even the most unsophisticated hacker could break a code like ‘123456’ in under one second with a basic software program 

Australia also ranked high on Nord Security’s risk index when compared with other countries across the globe.

Last year, there were more than 85 million passwords leaked across the country, a staggeringly high average of 3.312 per capita, according to the cyber firm.

Other countries that ranked high on the index included Russia, Canada and the US.