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NordPass’s 2025 ranking puts “123456” first among the passwords in its analyzed dataset. NordPass says the sequence has topped six of its seven annual editions. That result is a warning about how easily reused credentials can be guessed—not a census of every password or internet user.

What is the world’s most common password?

NordPass’s 2025 Top 200 report names 123456 as the most common password in its findings. The report was compiled with NordStellar and independent cybersecurity-incident researchers from public breach data and dark-web repositories collected between September 2024 and September 2025. NordPass says it did not acquire or purchase personal data.

The ranking covers country-level results for 44 countries and includes generational analysis. Its records are credentials exposed in breaches or other leak collections, so “most common” means most common in that analyzed dataset. It does not establish what percentage of the world’s population uses 123456, nor does it prove that every country or age group has the same leaders.

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What the six-out-of-seven statistic means

NordPass says 123456 appeared at the top in six of its seven annual editions. This describes the history of NordPass’s rankings, not a population-wide measurement. Numeric sequences recur across generations, while country-specific first names and surnames also appear in national results.

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  • 【A-Z Tabs for Quick Search 】Our password book comes with alphabetical tabs to help you find the password you need quickly and easily. Alphabetically organized tabs ensure that you can quickly flip to the right section, saving you the time and hassle of searching for your password.

Why predictable passwords are dangerous

Attackers try the obvious first

Short sequences, common words, names and familiar variations are cheap to test in automated login attacks. NIST’s Ryan Galluzzo describes “password” and “12345” as being at the top of an attacker’s list of potential attacks. A password that has appeared in a breach is especially risky because criminals can try it against other services where the same person may have reused it.

Complex-looking substitutions are still predictable

Adding a capital letter, a number and an exclamation mark does not necessarily create an unpredictable password. NIST uses Password1! as an example of the predictable response produced by rigid composition rules. Length and uniqueness generally matter more than decorative substitutions.

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A strong password cannot block every attack

A long, complex password does not stop phishing pages from capturing it or malware from recording keystrokes. Those attacks target the person or device rather than the password’s guessability. Multifactor authentication (MFA) adds another barrier when a service supports it.

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How to replace a weak or exposed password

  1. Change it at the service itself. Open the account’s official settings, choose the password or security section, and create a new credential. Do not disclose the old or new password in comments, messages or forms belonging to an unfamiliar “checker.”
  2. Make the replacement unique. Never reuse it on another account. If the old password was reused, change every account that shared it, starting with email, banking, cloud storage and social accounts.
  3. Use a long passphrase when you must remember it. NIST says passwords should be at least 15 characters long when a person has to create one. A multiword passphrase is one practical way to reach that length. Follow the service’s actual limits; not every website accepts the same characters or length.
  4. Turn on MFA. Prefer an authenticator app, passkey or security key when offered. NIST identifies USB security dongles as one form of MFA, but support differs by account, browser and device.
  5. Review recovery options. Remove obsolete phone numbers and email addresses, confirm that recovery methods are yours, and sign out unfamiliar sessions if the service provides that control.

Use a password manager instead of memorizing dozens of passwords

NIST recommends password managers because they can generate a different random password for each account and store those credentials securely. That removes the main reason people reuse passwords: having to remember them all.

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  • 【Premium Design & Password Security】 The password book with alphabetical tabs features an anonymous cover design with no title on the cover, effectively avoiding information exposure. The password keeper design is specifically designed with password security in mind, providing space to record password hints instead of writing directly on the password itself, further protecting your important information.
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Protect the vault

  • Set a long, unique master passphrase for the manager.
  • Enable MFA for the manager whenever it is available.
  • Keep recovery codes somewhere secure and accessible if you lose your primary device.
  • Install the manager only from the provider’s official app or browser-extension channel.

A password vault is a high-value target, so securing the manager matters as much as securing any individual account. Provider features and recovery procedures vary; check the manager’s own documentation before relying on it.

Passkeys and hardware keys: useful additions

Passkeys can authenticate through supported phones, laptops, browsers and some hardware dongles without relying on a memorized site password. A FIDO2 security key used as a second factor can also reduce the impact of a stolen password. Compatibility is account- and device-dependent, so verify support before buying or enrolling a key and register a backup method where the service permits it.

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Can you check whether your password is on a popular-password list?

You do not need to submit a live password to an unknown website to answer that question. If a password is short, common, reused, or resembles a name or sequence, replace it. Treat any password found in a breach notification or credential-exposure alert as compromised, even if it is not shown in a public “top passwords” article.

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Never test a current password by pasting it into a ranking page, online form, chat or security tool you do not fully trust. A password manager can generate a replacement without exposing the old credential.

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Practical standard for every account

Account situation Recommended action
Password appears in a breach or is reused Change it immediately on the affected service and everywhere else it was reused.
You must create and remember a password Use a unique passphrase of at least 15 characters, subject to the service’s technical limits.
You have many accounts Use a password manager to generate and store unique random credentials.
MFA, passkeys or a security key are offered Enable a method you can reliably use, and keep an approved backup method.
A site demands arbitrary uppercase, digits and symbols Meet its rules, but do not rely on predictable substitutions such as “Password1!”.

The bottom line on “popular” passwords

“123456” leads NordPass’s 2025 exposed-credential ranking, but the more important lesson is not to copy or slightly modify any entry from a list. Use a long, unique credential; store it in a reputable password manager; and add MFA or a passkey where available. Those steps address both guessable passwords and the damage caused when another service suffers a breach.

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