A report by Dashlane states that nearly 20% of passwords are compromised. Dashlane considers it an incredibly high number, given that an average Dashlane user has around 240 online accounts.

If you are among the nearly 20% of people who use passwords that are most vulnerable to attack, then you may not want to continue using the same password for all of your logins. A good idea would be to use a password manager, which is software or an app that can store your passwords and login information in one place. Dashlane users with free accounts have 24/7 access to Dashlane alerts and emergency help.

There's never been a better time than now to overhaul your security routine so that it's more secure, as well as more practical for everyday internet usage.

In fact, the report found that globally 51% of passwords are reused. An average person in the US has 70-80 online accounts, so one compromised password could lead to dozens of hacked accounts.

The Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT), which is Dashlane's security team, has worked tirelessly to identify the most vulnerable passwords and discovered a number of common passwords that are frequently used but are at great risk of being hacked.

Sarah Perez, Deputy Editor on TechCrunch, wrote in her coverage of the report: "But GReAT also found some shocking numbers that show just how bad the security situation is. For example, 19% of people reuse the same password across multiple accounts on the web — that means they're leaving themselves wide open to attack."

To remedy this issue, Dashlane offers options for users including regularly changing their passwords. It also allows them to use a Secure Password Generator which helps create password that is stronger and helps prevent account breaches.

For regular users with hundreds of passwords, it can be very difficult to keep track of which passwords are the most difficult to hack. So they often use the same weak passwords.

The GReAT reported that the top 25 most vulnerable have been used over 100 million times, which means that this is not sophisticated hacker activity. This is likely a result of users sharing information on their Facebook accounts, asking friends to email them their username and password for online games or other online services. Over 80% of passwords are now generated by software, or via a phrase that is formed from words in a dictionary or a song lyric. These types of passwords were often created through wordlists that hackers can then crack into.

Dashlane's study found that 4 out of the top 25 most vulnerable passwords were password followed by 123456, in their top 10 most used. And the new worst password on the internet, according to this study, is ‘password' itself.

And if you think these 25 passwords are just a drop in the ocean and that malware can't get into your account because you have a strong password, then think again. Fifteen of the top 100 hacking targets are easy to guess passwords - including: 'wedidit', 'champagne', 'monkey' and even 'sheraton'.

But there's always hope for users who want to make their online experience more secure.

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Source: Nearly 20% of passwords are compromised, report says | Cybernews