.jpg)
A new report issued by Kaspersky has revealed that 68 per cent of passwords used worldwide can be hacked within a single day.
According to details surfaced, the use of simple numbers, common words and predictable symbols by internet users has made it far easier for cyber attackers to crack passwords. The cybersecurity company analysed 231 million unique passwords leaked between 2023 and 2026 and uncovered several alarming findings. The report stated that 68 per cent of passwords currently in use can be broken within one day.
The report noted that most compromised passwords either begin or end with a number, a common habit among users which leaves them vulnerable to brute force attacks.
It added that extensive debate has taken place in recent years over the principles of secure passwords, and many online services now require a minimum of 10 characters, one capital letter and at least one number or symbol. However, merely following such rules does not guarantee complete protection.
According to the findings, the symbol “@” was the most commonly used single character, appearing in 10 per cent of passwords, while the full stop appeared in 3 per cent. Around 53 per cent of passwords ended with numbers, 17 per cent began with numbers and nearly 12 per cent contained numerical patterns resembling dates.
Data science expert Alexey Antonov said the use of common symbols, numbers and dates, particularly at the beginning or end of passwords, makes it extremely easy for cyber criminals to hack accounts.
He said brute force attacks involve computers continuously testing different combinations of letters and numbers in an attempt to identify the correct password. Once attackers understand common user habits, passwords can be cracked within a very short period.
The research further stated that short passwords of up to eight characters can generally be hacked in less than a day, while modern artificial intelligence-based algorithms are capable of breaking more than 20 per cent of 15-character passwords in under a minute.
.jpg)
