Password Statistics 2026: "123456" Still Most Common, 39% of Breaches Use Stolen Credentials
So, get this! A report from NordPass shows that "123456" is still the most popular password globally for the sixth time in seven years. Even though people have over 100 passwords on average, only 36% of US adults use a password manager, according to Security.org. LastPass found that 62% of folks often reuse passwords. Verizon’s 2026 report states that stolen credentials cause 39% of data breaches, with credential abuse in 13%. IBM estimates that the average breach costs around $4.99 million and takes 247 days to fix. Multi-factor authentication blocks 99.9% of automated attacks, and more people are using passkeys—53% according to a 2024 FIDO Alliance survey. Plus, Amazon says passkeys make sign-ins six times faster!
Key facts
- "123456" remains the world's most common password, topping NordPass's list for the sixth time in seven years
- The average person manages 100+ passwords, according to NordPass
- Stolen credentials are used at some stage in 39% of data breaches, per Verizon's 2026 DBIR
- Only 36% of US adults use a password manager, according to Security.org
- 62% always or mostly reuse the same password or a variation, per LastPass
- 53% of people have enabled passkeys on at least one account, and 22% on every account they can, per a 2024 FIDO Alliance survey
- The average breach costs $4.99 million and takes 247 days to identify and contain, per IBM 2026
- MFA blocks 99.9% of automated attacks; Amazon reports 6x faster sign-ins with passkeys and Google a 4x higher sign-in success rate
Entities
Institutions
- NordPass
- Verizon
- IBM
- Security.org
- LastPass
- FIDO Alliance
- Apple
- Microsoft
- Amazon
- Colorlib
Locations
- United States