A recent analysis by NordPass has revealed a concerning trend in password security practices among Gen Z users, showing they are less secure with passwords than older generations. The study found that simple strings like ‘12345’ and ‘123456’ are the most commonly used passwords among Gen Z, with the latter holding the dubious title of the most common password for the sixth time in seven years. Despite repeated warnings about the vulnerabilities of such passwords, their prevalence remains alarmingly high across all age groups.
Experts emphasize that these weak passwords can be cracked by attackers in seconds, making them a significant security risk. According to Security.org’s password security checker, any of these common passwords can be easily broken by automated tools, which means that most attackers do not even need to expend the resources required to reveal the password. Instead, they can simply spray a list of known passwords at an authentication API and secure a quick win.
The study also noted that while there were a few more instances of ‘skibidis’ among the Zoomer dataset compared to older generations, the overall trends in password selection were largely similar. Variants of ‘123456’ were among the most common across all age groups, with the exact string ‘123456’ being the most frequently used. This highlights the need for increased cybersecurity education and the importance of adopting stronger, more complex passwords to protect digital accounts from potential breaches.