Most hacked passwords of 2019 revealed: if you’re using one, change it

23 April 2019, 11:10

Hackers can get into your account easily if you're using a simple password. Picture: PA

By Mared Parry

A new list of Britain's most hacked passwords has been revealed

Computer hackers can easily find their way into many internet users' accounts if they're not security-savvy and new findings show that us Brits don't know the best ways to protect ourselves from them.

If you're quite lazy with changing up your passwords and tend to stick to the same simple one for all of your accounts then chances are you're at quite a high risk.

National Cyber Security (NCSC) has revealed what the most hacked passwords are for 2019, and they're not all that surprising.

It isn't hard for hackers to get their hands on all of your personal details. Picture: PA

The most hacked password was '123456' followed by '123456789' and then 'qwerty'.

Also on the list of offenders was the word 'password' and the incredibly simple '1111111'.

Once hackers have their hands on an account's password they can easily retrieve a number of personal details.

These can range from your address and phone number to your bank details and more.

NCSC technical director Dr Ian Levy said: "We understand that cybersecurity can feel daunting to a lot of people, but the National Cyber Security Centre has published lots of easily applicable advice to make you much less vulnerable.

"Password re-use is a major risk that can be avoided – nobody should protect sensitive data with something that can be guessed, like their first name, local football team or favourite band.

"Using hard-to-guess passwords is a strong first step and we recommend combining three random but memorable words.

"Be creative and use words memorable to you, so people can’t guess your password."