Why your password could be one of the most vulnerable in 2025
Recent reports from NordPass and Comparitech agree that 123456 will once again take the top spot among the most used passwords in 2025. A quarter of the first thousand combinations consist only of numbers in sequences such as 12345678 or 123456789.
Such passwords are chosen for convenience: they are short, easy to remember and quick to enter. The problem arises when an attacker uses lists of shared passwords for mass access attempts and your combination appears in them. The more popular the key, the less time it takes for the automated system to decrypt it.
The idea that a simple sequence goes unnoticed is what puts many people at the same level of risk. Lists analyzed in 2025 show that this practice not only persists, but is consistently repeated every year.
Most repeated passwords in a generation
A section of the report shows which combinations are most commonly used in different age groups. This allows us to identify patterns of risk that repeat themselves even among people with different digital habits.
Generation Z (1997-2007)
– 12345
– 123456
– 12345678
– 123456789
– password
Millennials (1981-1996)
– 123456
– 1234 square meters
– 123456789
– 12345678
– 12345
Generation X (1965-1980)
– 123456
– 123456789
– 12345
– Veronika
– Lorraine
Baby Boomers (1946-1964)
– 123456
– 123456789
– 12345
– Maria
– Password
Codes most commonly used in Mexico
The codes with the highest repeatability in the country are dominated by short numerical variants and easy-to-guess generic terms.
Mexico is the top 5
– admin — 483,278 uses
– 123,456 — 268,643 inhabitants
– 12345678 — 196,965 people
– password — 118,854 usos
– 12,345 — 85,641 inhabitants
The case of the Louvre: a system unlocked by a single password
A recent episode at the Louvre showed how one obvious key can disable an entire system. The password used to access the intranet was “Louvre”, a term identical to the name of the institution. This access compromised the digital infrastructure that protected the collections and jewelry, allowing more than $100 million worth of pieces to be stolen.
The situation showed that a network with advanced physical and technological controls is vulnerable when the digital door depends on a predictable word. Security can fail because of a single weak spot where the password is easily guessed in just a few tries.
What to do so that your password does not end up on the lists of the most vulnerable
ESET, a cybersecurity company, offers practical steps to replace predictable keys with more secure combinations. An alternative is to use automatic generators and store them in a robust manager that allows you to create long and random sequences without having to memorize them.
If you decide to develop your passwords, the document recommends four guidelines:
– Minimum length of 12 characters.
– Combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols.
– Avoid common words, names, dates or numeric sequences.
– Use different passwords for each respective account.
Reviewing and updating access is part of the process. If short sequences, common terms, or proper names appear, the likelihood that your key will be part of the 2025 lists increases. Early installation reduces the chance of an attacker being able to decrypt within seconds.
