From & # 39; 12345 & # 39; a & # 39; blink182 & # 39 ;, the most hacked passwords revealed in cyber security warning

The use of easy-to-guess passwords across multiple accounts is a major gap in the online security habits of the British people, a government study found.

Research by the National Cyber ​​Security Center (NCSC) found that many Internet users did not know the best ways to protect themselves from cybercrime, with 42% hoping to lose money with online fraud.

Only 15 percent of the 2,500 respondents said they knew "too much" about protecting themselves from harmful online activities, while less than half of respondents said they did not always use a strong, separate password for their primary email account.

Passwords "12345", "123456789" and "qwerty" were identified by researchers as the most commonly violated globally to access sensitive information.

The word "password" and "1111111" also made up the top five passwords accessed in global cybercrimes.

Ashley was revealed to be the most common name used on a password, followed by Michael, Daniel, Jessica and Charlie.

Liverpool were the most common Premier League football team used in a password, with Chelsea, Arsenal, manutd and Everton also in the top five.

Blink 182 was the most widely used musical act, followed by 50 cent, Eminem, Metallica and Slipknot.

Superman was the most common character of fiction used in a password with Naruto, Tigger, Pokémon and Batman also being part of the first five.

The NCSC survey also found that one in three Britons rely to some extent on friends and family to help with cyber security, with young people more likely to be aware of privacy.

Dr. Ian Levy, technical director of the NCSC, said: "We understand that cyber security may seem scary to many people, but the National Center for Cybersecurity has published many easily applicable advice to make it much less vulnerable.

"Reusing passwords is a great risk that can be avoided – no one should protect confidential data with something that can be guessed, such as your first name, local football team or favorite band.

"Using hard-to-guess passwords is a strong first step and we recommend combining three random but memorable words. Be creative and use memorable words for yourself, so people will not be able to guess your password. "

Troy Hunt, whose site was I pwned on? allows people to see if they have an account that has been compromised in a data breach, also urged Internet users to make better password decisions.

"Making good password choices is the greatest control consumers have over their own personal security posture," he said.