Top 10 Most Common Passwords in 2025 (And Why They're Dangerous)

Despite decades of security warnings, millions of people still use easily guessable passwords. Analysis of recent data breaches reveals shocking patterns—and why these passwords remain so dangerous.

The Most Common Passwords

Based on analysis of 15+ billion breached credentials, here are the most commonly used passwords:

1. "123456" (Over 100M accounts)

Crack time: Instant Why it's popular: Easiest to type, meets minimum length requirements Why it's dangerous: First password attackers try

2. "password" (Over 80M accounts)

Crack time: Instant Why it's popular: Obvious choice when required to create a password Why it's dangerous: In every hacker's dictionary

3. "123456789" (Over 60M accounts)

Crack time: Instant Why it's popular: Longer version of "123456" for 8+ character requirements Why it's dangerous: Still a sequential pattern

4. "12345678" (Over 50M accounts)

Crack time: Instant Why it's popular: Exactly 8 characters (common minimum) Why it's dangerous: Tested in first 100 attempts

5. "qwerty" (Over 40M accounts)

Crack time: Instant Why it's popular: Top row of keyboard, easy to remember Why it's dangerous: Well-known keyboard pattern

6. "password123" (Over 35M accounts)

Crack time: Seconds Why it's popular: Meets complexity requirements (letters + numbers) Why it's dangerous: Combines two most common patterns

7. "111111" (Over 30M accounts)

Crack time: Instant Why it's popular: Fastest to type, meets length requirement Why it's dangerous: Pure repetition, zero entropy

8. "abc123" (Over 25M accounts)

Crack time: Instant Why it's popular: Simple combination of letters and numbers Why it's dangerous: Classic weak pattern

9. "qwerty123" (Over 20M accounts)

Crack time: Seconds Why it's popular: Keyboard pattern + numbers for "complexity" Why it's dangerous: Known variation of common password

10. "admin" (Over 18M accounts)

Crack time: Instant Why it's popular: Default password for many systems Why it's dangerous: Targeted by automated attacks on admin accounts

Why People Still Use Weak Passwords

Reason 1: Password Fatigue

Average person has: 100+ online accounts Result: Using simple, memorable passwords across multiple sites

Reason 2: Underestimating Risk

Common belief: "I'm not important enough to hack" Reality: Automated attacks target everyone, not individuals

Reason 3: Complexity Requirements Backfire

What happens: Sites require 8+ chars, 1 number, 1 symbol User response: "Password1!" or "Qwerty123!" Result: Predictable patterns that seem "complex"

Reason 4: Inability to Remember Random Passwords

Problem: Random passwords like "K9#mQ2$nL7" are impossible to remember Solution many choose: Weak but memorable passwords Better solution: Password manager

Real-World Breach Statistics

LinkedIn Breach (2012)

• 164 million passwords exposed
• Top password: "123456" (over 750,000 users)
• Impact: Massive credential stuffing attacks across other sites

Yahoo Breach (2013)

• 3 billion accounts compromised
• Common patterns: "password", "welcome", "monkey"
• Issue: Even after warnings, users didn't change passwords

Collection #1 (2019)

• 773 million unique credentials
• 87 million using passwords from top 100 common list
• Discovery: Many from previous breaches, showing password reuse

RockYou Breach (2009)

Still the gold standard for password research:

• 32 million plaintext passwords leaked
• Top 5000 passwords: Covered 20% of users
• Top 10,000 passwords: Covered 30% of users

Key finding: Password patterns are highly predictable

How Attackers Exploit Common Passwords

Attack Method 1: Credential Stuffing

How it works:

1. Attacker obtains breached password database
2. Uses automated bots to try credentials on other sites
3. Successfully accesses accounts using same password

Success rate: 0.1% - 2% (sounds low, but millions of attempts = thousands of successes)

Real example:

• LinkedIn breach credentials used to access Gmail, Facebook, banking sites
• Users who reused "password123" compromised across multiple platforms

Attack Method 2: Dictionary Attacks

How it works:

1. Attacker creates list of common passwords
2. Tests against target account
3. Usually succeeds within first 10,000 attempts

Speed: Modern GPUs test billions per second Result: Common passwords cracked in seconds

Attack Method 3: Pattern-Based Attacks

Common patterns attackers exploit:

• Base word + year: "Summer2025"
• Base word + number: "Password1"
• Keyboard patterns: "qwerty", "asdfgh"
• Simple substitutions: "P@ssw0rd"

Why it works: Humans are predictable

Attack Method 4: Targeted Attacks

Personal information used:

• Names: "Jennifer1990"
• Birthdays: "08151992"
• Pet names: "Fluffy123"
• Favorite teams: "Lakers2024"

Source: Social media mining Success rate: High for targeted attacks

Comparison: Weak vs. Strong Passwords

Scenario: Online Attack (100 attempts/second)

Scenario: Offline Attack - Fast (100B attempts/second)

Key insight: Length and randomness matter exponentially

How to Protect Yourself

Step 1: Check If You're Using Common Passwords

Use our free password checker to test against:

• 15+ billion breached credentials
• Common password patterns
• Dictionary words
• Predictable substitutions

Step 2: Replace Weak Passwords Immediately

Priority order:

1. Email accounts (used for password resets)
2. Financial accounts (banking, PayPal)
3. Social media (contains personal info)
4. Work accounts (potential business impact)
5. Everything else

Step 3: Use Unique Passwords

Never reuse passwords, even if they're strong. One breach shouldn't compromise multiple accounts.

How to manage: Use a password manager (1Password, Bitwarden, LastPass)

Step 4: Enable Two-Factor Authentication

Even if password is compromised, 2FA prevents unauthorized access:

• Authenticator apps (Google Authenticator, Authy)
• Hardware keys (YubiKey)
• SMS (better than nothing, but less secure)

Step 5: Create Strong Passwords

Option A: Random (most secure)

• Use password manager to generate
• Example: "K9#mQ2$nL7@pR4xY"
• 16+ characters, all types

Option B: Passphrase (memorable)

• 4+ random words + numbers
• Example: "Correct-Horse-Battery-Staple-9247"
• 20+ characters total

Password Strength Requirements by Account Type

Critical Accounts (email, banking, work)

• Minimum: 16 characters
• Type: Random or long passphrase
• Uniqueness: Absolutely required
• 2FA: Mandatory

Important Accounts (social media, shopping)

• Minimum: 12 characters
• Type: Random or passphrase
• Uniqueness: Required
• 2FA: Highly recommended

Low-Risk Accounts (forums, blogs)

• Minimum: 12 characters
• Type: Can use memorable patterns
• Uniqueness: Still recommended
• 2FA: Optional

Testing Your Current Passwords

Want to see if your passwords are in the danger zone? Test them now:

Check your password security →

Our tool will show:

• ✅ Strength score (0-100)
• ✅ Breach status (15+ billion credentials)
• ✅ Crack time estimates
• ✅ Pattern detection
• ✅ Improvement recommendations

Privacy guarantee: All analysis happens in your browser. We never see or store your passwords.

Corporate Impact

Cost of Weak Passwords

Average data breach cost: $4.45M (IBM 2024) Percentage due to credentials: 19% Cost of credential-related breaches: $845K average

Time to identify breach: 277 days average Time to contain: 70 days average

Why Employees Use Weak Passwords

• Password complexity policies that encourage patterns
• Too many required password changes
• No access to corporate password managers
• Lack of security training

Solution for Organizations

1. Implement password managers
2. Enable SSO (Single Sign-On)
3. Enforce 2FA/MFA
4. Provide security training
5. Monitor for breached credentials

Conclusion

Common passwords remain dangerous because:

• Predictability: Attackers know what to try first
• Breach databases: Your password might already be public
• Automation: Bots test millions of credentials 24/7
• Reuse: One breach = multiple compromised accounts

Action steps:

1. Check if you're using any common passwords
2. Replace them immediately with unique, strong alternatives
3. Enable 2FA on all important accounts
4. Use a password manager for convenience + security
5. Regularly check breach status

Test your password security now →

Related Reading:

• How Secure Is My Password? Complete Guide
• Password Strength Checker Guide
• How Password Hackers Really Work