Researchers from the Hasso-Plattner Institute (HPI) in Potsdam, Germany came to this conclusion in their study on repeated password use. The study was conducted with roughly one billion user accounts whose information was leaked and publicly available online.
The scientists also analysed some 30 million German accounts, ascertaining the ten passwords most popular among German internet users. “There is no 100-percent protection from identity theft, but if you find your password on this list, you should change it as soon as possible,” explains Professor Christoph Meinel, Director at HPI and one of the authors of the study.
The ten passwords most popular among Germans are:
1. hallo
2. passwort (password)
3. hallo123
4. schalke04
5. passwort1
6. qwertz
7. arschloch (asshole)
8. schatz (sweetheart)
9. hallo1
10. ficken (to fuck)
Generally, passwords should be changed regularly and not be used for multiple accounts, as it is easy for hackers to gain access to personal data and accounts by decoding weak passwords. “Many users are not aware that criminals earn a great deal of money on the trade with stolen identities, nor are they aware what damage can be caused to them,” explained Meinel. Internet users can check whether they are affected by current leaks using the Identity Leak Checker on HPI’s website.
HPI’s results may be relevant for a number of businesses, as studies from associations such as Bitkom show the significant threat posed to German companies by industrial espionage (cf. our German-language report). Also, many businesses regard it as central to involve employees in information security and know-how protection according to a survey by the NIFIS initiative (cf. our German-language report).
