According to experts in the field, the persistence of weak passwords like “123456” has become evident again in 2025. Cybersecurity. In the Spanish case, this sequence is relegated to second place because the most used repetition is “admin” and a total of 351,336 users on the web use it. The same applies to the vast majority of European countries, which are guilty of naivety by using “admin” as a reference code. According to experts, this illustrates the low awareness of digital protection among users of all ages and regions.
Recent reports from specialist firms including Comparitech and NordPass have confirmed that a simple sequence of numbers like “123456” remains at the top of the list of the world’s most commonly used passwords on the internet. The company ESET, a reference in proactive threat detection, has compared the use of predictable passwords Leaving the front door locked with only a paper lock highlights the risk this poses to the sensitive information of individuals and businesses.
The phenomenon does not distinguish between generations or geographical areas. In the European case, there are three countries that escape the tendency to use “admin” as preferred passwordalthough they use it second. Finland opts for “jessekissa,” a combination of the words “Joseph” and “cat”; The Czech Republic prefers to use “Heslo1234”, whose translation into Spanish is “Password1234”; while in Switzerland the “dominant” code is used more frequently.
Camilo Gutiérrez Amaya, head of the ESET Latin America Research Laboratory, told Infobae México that “the habit of using weak and obvious passwords does not exist.” Generational boundaryGutiérrez adds that “the age range does not matter: in each group, ‘123456’ appears in the ranking of those most frequently selected to access online services and platforms.”
An analysis conducted by ESET has shown that the habit of using simple and predictable credentials affects both parties Private users as well as companies and institutions, with a particular focus on Latin America. Comparitech has provided a revealing fact: “25% of the thousand most commonly used passwords consist only of numbers.” This fact shows a general tendency to expose personal accounts and confidential data due to a lack of caution.
ESET has published several lists reflecting the most common passwords across different generational groups. Among the most frequently repeated are: Number sequences such as “12345”, “123456”, “12345678”, “123456789” and “1234567890”, as well as general terms such as “password” or “password”.
The company ESET Latin America has warned of the seriousness of this phenomenon in the region, where the use of weak passwords increases vulnerability in the context of the boom Cyber threats. Gutiérrez Amaya emphasized that “endangering individual security also means exposing regional integrity to attack,” a situation that can impact organizations, governments and companies, he said Infobae Mexico.
The business environment is not excluded from this problem either. ESET has highlighted that using simple combinations as credentials may result in economic losses and damage the reputation of the institution. NordPass has recalled that in 2025 the three most used passwords in companies were numeric strings, and that 70% of them were numeric strings Data leaks According to Verizon, this is due to the use of fragile keys.
A recent case has illustrated the extent of the threat: In the Louvre Museum in Paris, the security password was simply “Louvre”. This vulnerability enabled a break-in that enabled the theft of more than $100 million worth of jewelry, putting the whole thing at risk Safety net of the housing. With this in mind, ESET recommends using password generators and introducing clear guidelines when creating your own keys.
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