People urged to change their passwords after list reveals the ‘most hackable’ combinations

A study has revealed the top 10 passwords which have appeared in the most security breaches.

While some have argued longer and more complex passwords are no longer as needed, there are some plain and simple passwords which you're just plain stupid for using - once you see the top 10 'most hackable' passwords, you'll see what I mean.

And if you're on the list? Well, I'm sorry but you've only got yourself to blame.

Conducted by KnownHost, in the tenth spot, we have 'abc123' which has appeared in a reported 4,203,865 security breaches, with combinations such as '123123' following, alongside 'password' and 'admin' as well as '111111'.

Up in the third spot is '1234' with 4,453,720 breaches before the second to top spot of a slightly longer combination '123456789' with 20,508,946 breaches.

In the top spot is 123456 which has appeared in a reported 50,203,085 data breaches.

Despite the obvious stupidity of using such a simple password, global cybersecurity advisor at ESET, Jake Moore, has revealed why it's now even more easy for hackers to guess common passwords.

It may be time to rethink your go-to password (Getty Stock Image)

He told MailOnline: "Using simple to guess or common passwords puts you at risk because hackers use a variety of impressive automated tools that can guess passwords in seconds."

Other passwords that put you at a greater risk of being compromised include pet names or anything else which you may've spoken about or indicated on your social media too.

If this has you running to your laptop to change all your passwords, then heed this advice, with Moore informing: "A unique combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters is advisable plus it should be at least 12 characters long."

And even if you think you come up with a great password, you shouldn't reuse it.

You should use different passwords for all your accounts too (Getty Stock Image)

Moore noted if 'one account gets hacked' then 'all your other accounts using the same password instantly become a vulnerable target as well'.

"Data breaches occur on a daily basis so if one of your used passwords is in amongst a breach, it can quickly give cybercriminals access to your other accounts," he explained.

Granted, it can then seem impossible to be able to remember all the different combinations, however, experts do approve the use of a strong password manager - with one extra strong password to protect the numerous lying inside.

Most 'hackable passwords'

The top 10 most 'hackable passwords' along with the number of data breaches the password has been involved in:

1. 123456 - 50,203,085
2. 123456789 - 20,508,946
3. 1234 - 4,453,720
4. 123456789 - 9,875,311
5. 12345 - 4,934,837
6. password - 11,393,057
7. 111111 - 5,409,781
8. admin - 4,957,283
9. 123123 - 4,304,392
10. abc123 - 4,203,865

• People urged to act now as 16,000,000,000 social media passwords leaked in 'largest data breach ever'
• Doctor issues health warning after shocking data reveals how often men and women change their underpants
• WHO shares how to prevent the spread of hantavirus after three people die
• Google reveals what people searched for the most in 2025