Tech experts reveal the passwords most at risk of compromise in 2024 and urge users to change them IMMEDIATELY… is yours on the list?

Because so many apps and websites require users to update their passwords regularly, many create simple login credentials that are easy to remember.

But this habit makes it easy for cybercriminals to attack large companies and steal sensitive information from individuals.

Privacy expert Jason Wise has revealed the top 15 most common passwords for 2024 and urged people to change their passwords immediately if it makes the list.

The passwords, such as Qwerty123, 1q2w3e and Q2w3e4r5t, are collected from real-world data branches.

‘To stay safe online, you need secure passwords. The more unique a password, the harder it will be for others to crack it,” says Wise said.

‘In short: you should avoid the most common and the most obvious passwords.’

He explained that some of the most common passwords are based on number combinations such as 111111, 12345 and 123456.

Wise advised people against using their date of birth, the names of people close to them, sports teams, cities or food, identifying these as extremely common passwords that are easy to guess and can put you at significant risk from hackers.

“When you think about how many different passwords you have to use every day, it’s understandable to use simple passwords or the same password for everything,” says Wise.

However, he added: ‘If you’re using one of the most common passwords in 2024, or a variation mentioned in this guide, it’s time to change it.’

A popular tactic used by cybercriminals is called a ‘brute force attack’, which uses software that tries any combination of letters, symbols and common words to crack login credentials, taking just seconds or minutes to crack weak passwords .

“Password theft means that once hackers gain access to your account, they can steal your personal information, lock you out of your account, or use your account to carry out further attacks,” the security and technology company said. Threat Advisory.

“Another danger of weak passwords is that they can be easily guessed based on publicly available information,” the report said.

Statistical reported that nearly half of people who responded to a 2022 global survey on password security believe security passwords are too weak.

“The funniest thing is that most people realize they need strong and unique passwords,” says Wise, adding that despite this, they often still choose passwords that are easy to remember.

The solution is to use a password generator that can come up with longer, harder-to-guess passwords created using a random string of numbers, letters and special characters.

While using a password generator is the most secure approach, the downside is that it is difficult to remember when you need it, but using this in combination with a password manager is considered the best option, according to Wise.

Some of the most popular password generators include LastPass, KeePass, NordPass, RoboForm, and Dashlane.