SOME 210million people use the foolishly simple password 123456, analysis has revealed.
More than 52million have “password” as their login and 2.5million opt for “computer”, analysis shows.
teams are popular — 1,218,040 choosing — and bands, with Metallica used by more than a million, a list of shows.
The problem was revealed by firm Alan Boswell Group. It uses data from Have I Been Pwned, a website that tracks passwords worldwide exposed in data breaches.
Spokesman Heath Alexander-Bew said: “Weak passwords can feel like a small issue, but can cause problems very quickly.
“For individuals, it could mean someone accessing shopping accounts, banking or social media.
“For a business, it could open the door to invoices, customer details, internal files or password reset links for other platforms.”
He added: “What is worrying is that many passwords are not being guessed.
“They’re sitting in leaked password lists. Criminals can use automated tools to try them across different sites.
“That is why passwords such as ‘123456’, ‘admin’, a football team, a name or a birth year can still be risky, especially when reused across work and personal accounts.”
It comes as UK government departments and companies scramble to patch up a cyber-security flaw in a programming language discovered on Wednesday and said to affect 70 per cent of the internet.
and gym David Lloyd took its app down to make emergency fixes.
