In a world where almost everything has gone digital, it’s no wonder so many of us get into bad habits when it comes to our passwords. Endless online accounts and constant log-ins mean it’s easy to start using the same codes for multiple services or picking something that’s super simple to remember. The problem is, falling into this trap makes it incredibly easy for hackers to take advantage and cash in.

In a bid to help consumers tighten their security, the team at NordPass has revealed some of the most commonly used passwords in the UK, and if yours features on the list, then it’s time to make some urgent changes.

Coming top is “admin” which is now the number one most popular password in the United Kingdom. It’s a poor choice due to its length, lack of special characters and the fact that it’s the default code that so many pick.

Incredibly, in second place is “123456” – yes, despite all the warnings, people really are still using that combination of numbers.

Another common mistake is to use the word “password” as your password as this also remains in the top ten and takes seconds for cyber crooks to crack.

Here is the top 10 password list according to NordPass

1. admin

1. 123456

3. password

4. 12345678

5. 123456789

6. Password1

7. Password

8. 12345

9. Lennon11

10. 1234567890

Surprisingly, the latest research shows that it’s not just the older generation making these mistakes. Accordingt to NordPass, password quality is equally poor across all generational groups. Far from discerning differences, researchers found a striking uniformity in vulnerability. For every age bracket, “12345” and “123456” consistently emerge as the top choices.

One positive change this year is that it seems more people are mixing up their codes and using symbols and capital letters. This improves security and makes it harder for codes to be cracked. However, NordPass does say that popular passwords now include  “P@ssw0rd,” “Admin@123,” or “Abcd@1234″ which are not complicated enough and still too easy to crack.

If you are looking to make things more secure, try and pick a complicated word and add plenty of symbols, capital letters and numbers into it. 

Speaking about the new research, Karolis Arbaciauskas, head of product at NordPass said: “Generally speaking, despite all efforts in cybersecurity education and digital awareness over the years, data reveals only minor improvements in password hygiene.

“The world is slowly moving towards passkeys — a new passwordless authentication method based on biometric data — but in the interim, until passkeys become ubiquitous, strong passwords are very important. Especially since around 80% of data breaches are caused by compromised, weak, and reused passwords, and criminals intensify their attacks till they can.”