New research reveals some facts on commonly used passwords

In a new research it is found that inconsistent and misleading advice offered on some of the world’s most popular websites could actually does more harm than good rather than passcodes like '123456' to access devices.

To help users secure their personal data from the threats posed by cyber criminals, password meters are frequently made available. A study by the University of Plymouth in England assessed the effectiveness of 16 password meters that people are likely to use or encounter on a regular basis.

The research also revealed there is a clear level of variation in the advice offered across different websites. While some meters do effectively steer users towards more secure account passwords, some will not pick them up when they try to use 'abc123', 'qwertyuiop' and 'iloveyou' -- all listed this week among the worst passwords of 2019.

16 passwords were tested against various meters and it is found that 10 among them are the most commonly used passwords which includes ‘123456’. Among the 10 weak passwords, only five passwords consistently scored as such by all the password meters. Whereas, 'Password1!' performed far better than it should do and was even rated strongly by three of the meters.

The main focus was dedicated password meter websites, but the study also sought to assess those embedded in some common online services (including Dropbox and Reddit) and those found as standard on some of the devices.