Gen Z have worse passwords than Boomers and Millennials despite growing up in the digital age
'The message is clear: Users favor simplicity, even at the cost of personal security.'
People often tend to believe that Gen Z is more tech-savvy than the other generations. However, findings of a survey by NordPass and NordStellar challenged the old, stereotypical notion. Well, they released a list of the top 200 commonly used passwords and found that Gen Z stands out among the Boomers, Gen X, and Millennials. The report is their seventh edition, and this time they wanted to do something different. So, the company released the most popular passwords among different generations, and it's truly eye-opening!
Gen Z, born between 1997 and 2007, has literally grown up surrounded by the internet and social media, but is the worst when it comes to setting passwords. No points for guessing, but "12345" is the most commonly used password among them. The other two passwords that have secured their positions in the top 3 are "123456" and "12345678," followed by the addition of the number 9 in the 4th position. The fifth most loved password is perhaps the worst choice among the Gen Z — "Password."
While the company confirmed that password choices across all generations are very poor, Gen Zs were just surprisingly bad. "The message is clear: Users favor simplicity, even at the cost of personal security," they wrote on their website. Moreover, they raised concerns about how, despite awareness of cybersecurity, data shows little improvement in their security habits. "With the number of breach cases growing each year, the problem remains as prevalent and dangerous as ever, suggesting that current approaches fail to drive meaningful change," they added.
Now, the Millennials? Well, their most favorite password is also very similar to the Gen Zs — "123456," followed by "1234qwer." On the list, the 7th position is secured by "password" just like the 5th position on the Gen Z's list. The bottom two most commonly used security codes are a bit different — Contraseña," and "mustufaj." Gen X is a little better, as they at least take the effort to sometimes use their names as the password. Names like "veronica," "valentina," and "lorena" are used widely across that generation. Boomers are also at par with Generation X. They also use names to protect their devices and social media accounts. NordPass was obviously too stunned by the findings, and so they even shared some simple steps for cybersecurity.
"A strong password should contain at least eight characters and use a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special symbols. You can also use sequences of words known as passphrases," they explained. Moreover, they asked users to avoid reusing passwords for different platforms. "Using unique passwords for all accounts ensures that even if one of them is breached, the rest will remain secure," the company added. NordPass also asked users to be conscious about credentials, identify any potential vulnerabilities, and upgrade them. For forgetful people, they suggested a password manager where they can generate, store, and manage all their passwords and ensure they’re securely protected.
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