News India Live, Digital Desk: Cyber thieves and hackers are becoming more vicious every day. From our bank accounts to social media, everything is online, yet why are we so careless about our most precious thing, i.e. ‘password’? A new report has once again exposed the alarming truth that even in the year 2025, the world’s most used passwords are still the same old and worn out ones: ‘123456’ And ‘password’,
And when it comes to us Indians, we too are not behind in this matter. ‘India123’, ‘Password@123’or putting date of birth in front of your name… these are some of the ‘dangerous’ passwords which we are using very comfortably. This is exactly the same as if you lock your safe worth crores and hang its key on the gate itself.
Cyber security company NordPass releases a list every year, and this year’s list also shows that it takes less than a second for a hacker’s software to break these very simple passwords!
Why have we remained ignorant despite knowing?
This is a big question that why do people keep such weak passwords even after so many warnings?
- Trouble to remember: Today there are dozens of apps and websites in our lives. Creating a different and difficult password for everyone and then remembering it seems like a headache. To avoid this hassle, people stick the same simple password everywhere.
- “Who will hack my account?” Thinking: Most of the common people think that there is something valuable in their account that someone would steal. We forget that hackers target weak passwords, not individuals.
- Give priority to convenience: Typing ‘123456’ is much easier and faster than typing a password like ‘Zq8$k#pL*!2v’. For the sake of our convenience, we end up playing with security a lot.
Weak password means open feast to hackers
If you’re using a weak password, you’re inviting the following threats:
- Bank account becoming empty.
- Misuse of social media accounts.
- Leaking of your personal photos and information.
- Fraud by someone else in your name.
Then what should be your password?
Creating a strong password is not rocket science. Just make these things your habit:
- Length matters: Keep the password at least 12 to 16 characters long. The longer, the safer.
- Make ‘Khichdi’ of characters: Combine uppercase letters (A-Z), lowercase letters (a-z), numbers (0-9), and special symbols (@, #, $, %) in your password.
- Think of a ‘passphrase’: Instead of any one word, choose four-five words that have no match. As – ‘GeeliChaiLalBusStop’It is easy to remember and almost impossible to break,
- One key, one lock: Use a different password for each account.
- Wear the Armor of 2FA: Be sure to turn on two-factor authentication. This is another wall of security which becomes very difficult for hackers to penetrate.
In today’s digital age, your password is the biggest guardian of your online reputation and wealth. Don’t put your life’s earnings and personal information at stake by keeping it weak. Change all your weak passwords today.
look news india