The Most Commonly Used Password In India Is... No, Not "12345"

The pandemic saw a huge shift towards digital workspaces and online classes, but when it comes to cyber safety, it looks like the country still has some way to go. New research from NordPass reveals that the most commonly-used password in India is "password". This despite repeated warnings from police departments and public agencies about choosing strong passwords that cannot be cracked easily. 

Global password manager NordPass analysed passwords across 50 countries and the amount of time it takes to crack each one, according to 7 News. 

It found that in India, "password" was the most commonly-used password, followed by 12345, 123456, 123456789, 12345678, india123, 1234567890, 1234567, qwerty and abc123. 

All of these passwords, with the exception of "india123", can be cracked in less than one second, according to NordPass. India123 is a password that would take 17 minutes to crack. While these time frames are only indicative, they still provide an idea of how secure the password is. 

Yes, it's that time of the year again when you get a glimpse into the Top 200 Most Common Passwords. The 2021 report is here and it's bigger and better than ever ????????

Enjoy the joy of discovery! #NordPass #worstpasswords

— NordPass (@NordPass) November 17, 2021

"It's important to understand that passwords are the gateway to our digital lives, and with us spending more and more time online, it's becoming enormously important to take better care of our cybersecurity," said NordPass CEO Jonas Karklys in a statement.

"Unfortunately, passwords keep getting weaker, and people still don't maintain proper password hygiene," he said.

Globally, number sequences topped the list of commonly-used passwords by occupying the top three spots. 123456, 123456789 and 12345 are the most common passwords in the 50 countries analysed, followed by qwerty and password. 

Password strength is a measure of the effectiveness of a password against hacking and guesswork. Mumbai Police is one of the many police departments that have repeatedly warned against weak passwords for online safety. Take a look at some of their posts urging citizens to choose strong passwords:

Hackers, when they get access to an account due to a weak password: pic.twitter.com/ueCM4braay

— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) March 13, 2021

Update your 'aam' password to the 'King of all passwords!' #NoAamPasswords pic.twitter.com/whjiL1bPAC

— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) May 31, 2020

Dear #binod , we hope your name is not your online password. It's pretty viral, change it now! #OnlineSafety

— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) August 7, 2020

NordPass's list of passwords was compiled in partnership with independent researchers specializing in research of cybersecurity incidents. They evaluated a 4TB database for the analysis.