This is how to create a secure password that will take a hacker up to 300 years to crack
If you're worried about security, you might come up with a password like ZXxA64RTEGHYRTZZX22!!! that might not be so easy for hackers to crack. But most people still prefer to come up with something simple. Recently password manager company NordPass (via SamMobile,Naver) revealed that "samsung" (lowercase 's' and all) was one of the most used passwords in at least 30 countries.
Would you believe that the most popular password in the world is..."password"
Using as a password the name of the company that manufactured the phone in your hand might not be a great idea. But over the last few years, the "samsung" password has grown in popularity. In 2019 it was the 198th most popular password, rising to 189th most popular the next year. In 2021, "samsung" was number 78 on the list of most popular passwords. Imagine if you owned the Nothing Phone (1). If you used the brand for your passwords, you could claim that you use nothing for your passwords (Hey, they can't all be gems!).
The most popular passwords in the world. Image credit-Naver
Now here's the interesting part. The most used password in the world is..."password." Nearly 5 million people believe that this will keep out attackers. Would you use "password" as the (ahem) password for your banking app? Other widely used passwords include "123456," "123456789," and the always popular "guest." Anyone using passwords like those should not be allowed to complain about the lack of security on their phones or tablets.
The "samsung" password is one of several brand names used for account protection. Others include Adidas, Nike, and Tiffany. Different countries have different favorites based on cultural differences and other factors. In soccer-mad England, the fourth most popular password is Liverpool (globally, there could be another reason to use that as a password, right fellow Beatlemaniacs?) with Arsenal sixth and Chelsea at number 11. In Italy, Ciao (which means 'Hello') is number four.
How to create a password that can take up to 300 years to crack
Short or simple passwords are easier to crack. A CNBC report once discovered that a password made up of 4 to 11 characters could be discovered immediately. A password using 12 characters took two seconds to crack while one with 13 characters lasted for all of 19 seconds. Even combining uppercase, lowercase and numbers isn't safe. Such a password made up of 4 to 6 characters can be discovered immediately. One with 7 characters will take seven seconds to decipher while using that combination for an eight-digit password will take seven minutes to crack.
The safest passwords use a combination of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. A seven-to-10-character password in this vein takes up to five months to discover. If you use 11 characters, it will require as many as 34 years of work to decipher. And a 12-character password containing all of the aforementioned "ingredients" will take a hacker as long as 300 years to discover.
But to prove how important the length of a password is to your digital security, even if you create a password made up of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols, if it is only four to six characters in length, hackers can still figure it out immediately! NordPass says that most of the most popular passwords can be discovered in about one second which is why you should try to come up with a password made up of 12 characters that include uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.
Of the top ten passwords according to NordPass, the only two that take more than one second to crack are "guest," and "col123456." These two can be discovered in 10 and 11 seconds, respectively.
Also, NordPass suggests never using the same password on different apps. And you should change the password that you use on each app every now and then. While you might be thinking to yourself that there is no way you can remember so many complex passwords for all of the apps you use, well that is why there are Password Manager apps in the App Store and the Google Play Store.
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