Happy Valentine's Day, you've been hacked!

NordPass research reveals that the French love love love passwords. Unfortunately, these passwords are also among the 200 most common in the world.

• The passwords "loulou" and "doudou" are used by over 20,000 French Internet users.
• "jetaime" chosen by over 6,000 French people
• "iloveyou" and "iloveyou1" chosen by over 5,000 users
• The passwords "amoure" and "monamoure" are used by almost 4,000 users.

If you think using a password to express your love is a good idea, you're wrong. These passwords are so popular that they can be quickly guessed, causing not only financial damage but also damage to your reputation.

"123456" is the most common password in France in 2023

In 2023, "123456" is the most frequently used password in France, as revealed by the fifth annual NordPass study. The 20 most common passwords in France, listed below, include both the usual culprits and a few newcomers. The full list of global passwords, along with separate lists for 35 countries and 8 platform types, is available here: https://nordpass.com/fr/most-common-passwords-list/.

*The data presented in this study does not reflect absolute password usage worldwide. The researchers analyzed a sample of passwords extracted from publicly accessible sources, including those available on the dark web.

Passwords stored in your browser: easy entry for cybercriminals ‍

Malware attacks are particularly dangerous, as malware registries contain a wealth of information about the victim. For example, malware can steal information stored in your browsers, such as passwords and other credentials, website cookies and auto-fill data. They can also steal files from the victim's computer, as well as system information such as operating system version or IP address.

"The scariest part is that victims may not even realize their computers are infected. Malicious actors tend to hide malware in well-designed phishing e-mails, mimicking a legitimate organization, such as your bank or business," Smalakys explains.

The future of passwords

In the five years NordPass has been conducting this study, "123456" has been the most frequently used password on four occasions. According to Smalakys, this is a clear sign that it is essential to evolve authentication methods.

Passkeys are a new form of authentication. The essence of this technology is that the user doesn't need to create a password: everything is done automatically. When joining a website that supports passkeys, the user's device generates a pair of associated keys: a public key and a private key. The private key is stored on the device itself, and the public key is stored on the website server. One without the other is useless. If the user is successfully identified by his biometric data, the keys are associated and the user successfully identifies himself.

"This technology will help eliminate dodgy passwords, which will enhance user security. However, as with any innovation, passwordless authentication will not be adopted overnight. As one of the first password managers to offer this technology, we're finding that users are increasingly curious to try it out. However, there's still a lot of work to be done, and password security remains a topical issue", says Smalakys.

4 tips for good keyword management :

1. Create long, complex passwords. "123456 doesn't cut it anymore," says Smalakys. Easy-to-guess passwords are the equivalent of front doors left open. He therefore recommends using random passwords of 20 characters, including upper and lower case letters, symbols and numbers.
   
   
2. Avoid storing your secret information on your browser and adopt a password manager. With malware attacks targeting credentials stored on browsers, third-party password management software is considered a safer choice for storing credentials.

3. Start using passkeys. More and more websites now offer the option of accessing accounts using passkeys instead of passwords. While passkeys won't completely replace passwords just yet, they are undoubtedly the future of authentication.
   
   
4. Stay alert. To protect yourself from stealer malware, pay close attention to everything you download onto your computer. Malware is often spread by phishing e-mails, so learn to recognize them.
   
   

The researchers classified the data according to different vertical categories, enabling them to carry out a statistical analysis based on countries. NordPass only received statistical information from the researchers, with no reference to personal data.

In addition, third-party researchers analyzed another 6.6 TB password database. These passwords were stolen by various malware such as Redline, Vidar, Taurus, Raccoon, Azorult and Cryptbot. The malware logs contain not only the passwords, but also the source website. The researchers classified the most popular passwords by platform type and shared the aggregated statistical results with NordPass.

About Nordpass

NordPass is a password manager for businesses and individuals. It uses the latest technologies for optimum security. Developed with affordability, simplicity and ease of use in mind, NordPass enables users to access their passwords securely on desktop, mobile and browser. All passwords are encrypted on the device, so only the user can access them. NordPass was created by the experts behind NordVPN, the advanced security and privacy application trusted by over 14 million customers worldwide. For more information: nordpass.com.

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