2026 Latest: Top 50 Dangerous Passwords You Should Never Use

From a cybersecurity perspective, we explain the reality of common weak passwords that you should "absolutely avoid," and the estimated time it takes for them to be broken by brute force attacks.

The Reality of "Worst Passwords" Targeted by Hackers

Every year, security organizations around the world publish survey results of leaked passwords, and surprisingly, millions of people still reuse the same simple passwords. These can be breached in less than 0.1 seconds using a technique called a dictionary attack.

Examples of typical dangerous passwords:

123456 / 123456789
password / qwerty
admin / root
Your own name or birthdate (e.g., taro1990)
Just adding a "!" at the end (e.g., password!)

3 Absolute Conditions for a Secure Password

To protect your account from unauthorized access and hijacking, you need to set a strong, unpredictable password.

A length of "12 characters or more" is recommended: With the computing speed of current computers, passwords of around 8 characters can potentially be analyzed in minutes to hours by brute force attacks. 12 characters or more, ideally 16 characters or more, are recommended.
Use a random string: Do not use combinations of English words, but use a meaningless string where uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols are completely randomly mixed.
Never reuse them: No matter how strong a password is, if it leaks from some site, it's over. Be sure to set a different password for each service and use password management software (like 1Password).

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Do I need to change my password regularly?

A. It is now common knowledge in security that "regular changes are unnecessary (and rather harmful)." This is because forcing regular changes makes it easier for users to create simple passwords, like just changing the last digit from "1" to "2."

Q. Is a simple password okay as long as I set up two-factor authentication (2FA)?

A. No. Two-factor authentication is a strong defense measure, but if the password is simple, the first wall will always be breached, which is extremely dangerous. Combining a strong password with two-factor authentication is an essential requirement today.