"123456" was the most common password in 2016

Last year '123456' was again the world's most common password, according to figures from password manager Keeper. According to the researchers, such a password can be hacked in seconds and using it is reckless and lazy, AD reports.

The researchers checked 10 million passwords for this study. Nearly 17 percent were '123456'. It has long been at the top of the list, after dethroning 'password' several years back. More than half of the world's population use the top 25 most used passwords.

"Users must be aware fo the risks and take the time and effort to protect themselves", Keeper concludes. "The presence of passwords like '1q2w3e4r' and '123qwe' in the top 25 sows that some users are attempting unpredictable behavior when setting a password, but tat their efforts are weak. Password hackers know that they have to look for these types of combinations."

Top 10 passwords of 2016:

1. 123456
2. 123456789
3. Qwerty
4. 12345678
5. 11111
6. 1234567890
7. 1234567
8. password
9. 123123
10. 987654321