Experts warn Brits about 20 passwords they should not be using in 2024

Experts have warned Brits to change their easily guessable passwords sooner rather than later to reduce the chance of being targeted by hackers.

A list of the most common passwords has been unveiled by security experts, who warn that hackers could break into your accounts in seconds.

Passwords are known to be a poor way of protecting online accounts, with tech giants including Google and Apple now offering alternative safeguarding methods such as 'passkeys' and authenticator apps to reduce the use of passwords.

A number of popular passwords are considered to be unsafe. (Getty Images/izusek)

The main issue with passwords is that people often choose simple ones, to ensure they're easy to remember.

They also tend to re-use the same password across multiple accounts, which increases the risk of a hacker gaining access to several accounts just by knowing a single password.

Security giant NordPass has shared its annual report on the most commonly used passwords, and if you spot one of your favourite log-ins on the list, it could be time to rethink your passwords.

Hackers often tend to use long lists of commonly used passwords against different email address to see what they can gain access to. Therefore, the simpler the password, the more likely you are to be a victim of hacking.

Here are the top 20 most commonly used passwords in the UK:

'Password'

The word 'password' has been commonly used as a password for years and it's still the most used word.

While it may seem too obvious for somebody to guess, it's now so common that it's one of the first words hackers will try when trying to break into an account.

'qwerty123'

The second most common password is 'qwerty123' or 'qwerty1', which are the first letters going from left to right on the computer keyboard's top row of letters.

This password may seem efficient and easy to remember, but it's become an easy one for hackers to guess.

'123456'

Again, it may seem too obvious for a hacker to guess, but using '123456' won't help to protect your account. While most sites now request a password to include a number, using '123' is a predictable combination.

Experts have warned against using certain words as passwords. (SEAN GLADWELL/Getty Images)

Experts advise: "Using identifiable information, such as a favourite football team, names of family members, or the city you live in, can make passwords easier to determine," said Joe Cockroft, an "ethical hacker" at the UK's North East Business Resilience Centre.

“While this information may be easy to remember, it could also be easy for threat actors to figure out after a short time exploring your social media profiles, for example.

"NordPass’s Most Common Password List shows just how popular football teams are for UK passwords, as well as how many passwords lack complexity and are often a single word.

"Threat actors will often use a list of thousands or millions of words that help them crack your password. The National Cyber Security Centre advises that regularly changing passwords can cause more harm than good. Instead, it suggests that better password hygiene is more sufficient in securing accounts. Nevertheless, passwords should be changed immediately if a compromise is suspected or known."

Here's NordVPN's top 20 dangerous passwords:

1. password
2. qwerty123
3. qwerty1
4. 123456
5. liverpool
6. 123456789
7. password1
8. qwerty
9. liverpool1
10. arsenal
11. 12345678
12. chelsea
13. Password
14. charlie
15. football
16. abc123
17. arsenal1
18. rangers
19. Password1
20. charlie1