A total of 24 billion username and password combinations circulated in online criminal markets in 2021, a 65% increase from 2020, but many Internet users continue to make their lives easier for cybercriminals by choosing simple passwords, according to a report published in Romanian site blog of computer security company Eset.

“Sign-in accounts, like usernames and passwords, are key to our online lives. Today, our digital footprint can range from login information for streaming services, online banking or messaging, to ride-sharing services and social media accounts. These accounts often store card details in addition to personal data. This is why they are so popular in the cybercriminal world. A June report showed that 24 billion combinations of usernames and passwords are circulating in criminal online markets – this is 65% more than in 2020,” says Phil Muncaster, an Eset expert, in a specialized article, quoted by Agerpres.

According to the cited source, NordPass’ list of the weakest passwords used in 2022 shows that in 30 countries, “password” remains the most popular password with almost five million entries. In second place was “123456”, followed by its slightly longer version: “123456789”….

Also in the top are “guest”, “qwerty”, “12345678”, “111111”, “12345”, “col123456” and “123123”. Experts say that most accounts that have such passwords can be hacked in less than a second.

At the same time, the researchers observed the emergence of similar models every year, and among the constant favorites related to different sports, objects or brands are: sports teams (Red Star Belgrade, which has more than 58.5 million uses) . across accounts), fashion brands (“tiffany” was used almost 14.8 million times), swear words (the most popular of which was “f*ck” used over 21 million times), musicians (with U2 at the top of the list of over 33 million uses), movies (“leon” with 6.4 million passwords), cars (over eight million users had the password “mini”), video games (the most popular in 2022 was “weapons”, with over 6.2 millions of users) and food (almost 8.6 million passwords contained the word “fish”).

“Once logged into your account, hackers can steal all the personal and card data stored on it. Or they may use them themselves for card fraud or other types of fraud. The value of fraudulent card transactions exceeded $32 billion in 2021 and is expected to grow to $38.5 billion by 2027. If you reuse these passwords, if you write them down on a sticky note and display them, or if you share them with others, you’re actually just making life easier for would-be hackers and fraudsters. And if you use the same passwords for personal and work accounts, you may even be putting your employer at significant cyber risk. This could have even more serious consequences if hackers manage to steal data and business information as a result of this negligence,” cyber security experts warn.

In this context, the expert report also provides a solution for obtaining a strong password.

Thus, it is recommended to always use passwords or “passwords” instead of a simple, complex, and unique word. It’s also a good idea to never reuse passwords to sign in to multiple accounts, as hackers can compromise multiple personal accounts if they get hold of the same username and password combination.

“Don’t share your passwords because others can misuse them, even unintentionally. Disable any accounts that aren’t in use because they can be a security risk, especially because it’s hard to see when they’ve been compromised. Use software to manage passwords and consider using a password generator as well. The password manager will automatically suggest and store any long, strong, and unique passwords. With it, you can log into any relevant site and only need to remember the tool’s master password. Check back periodically strength of passwords and update any that are too weak or out of date Add multi-factor authentication (MFA) where possible – most accounts now have an option in This adds an extra layer of password protection by requiring another authentication factor “like scanning face, their fingerprint or entering a unique access code. Avoid connecting to public Wi-Fi networks, as hackers can scan the network and gain access to your data – more tips from the experts.

Other recommendations include using a security solution from a reputable company to protect against data theft and other malware, as well as phishing attacks and other threats.

“Beware of people looking at your screen when you’re out and about, who might be spying on you to steal your login details. Consider using a laptop screen protector. Do not click on suspicious links in unsolicited emails and messages. If in doubt, contact the sender directly, but not by replying to the message, but by searching for their contact information on Google. Only connect to sites that use HTTPS, as they are secure and therefore provide additional protection against attacks that can intercept your login credentials. Use an app or service that checks if your password has been involved in a hack or data breach,” the source said.

Eset was founded in 1992 in Bratislava (Slovakia) and is one of the leading companies offering malware detection and content analysis services, present in more than 180 countries.

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