You might like a password that's easy to remember. A thief might like it, too, because it's easy to crack.

Answer:

Questions:

• What are some risks of using common passwords?
• What strategies can you use to create a strong password that is also easy to remember?
• Besides having a strong password, how else can you protect your financial information?
  

Click here for the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use with your students. 

Behind the numbers (NordPass):

“123456” holds its throne

It’s official: “123456” has once again claimed the controversial title of the world’s most common password — and one of the weakest. That marks six out of seven years this password has topped our chart, with “password” claiming the honor just once. The message is clear: Users favor simplicity, even at the cost of personal security.

Old habits for young generations
Much to our surprise, password quality is poor across all generations. Where we expected discerning differences, we actually faced a striking uniformity in vulnerabilities. “12345” and “123456” emerged as the top password choice in every age group, and other simple numeric sequences we saw in the global list, like “1234567” or “1234567890,” also ranked high.

About the Author

Kathryn Dawson

Kathryn (she/her) is excited to join the NGPF team after 9 years of experience in education as a mentor, tutor, and special education teacher. She is a graduate of Cornell University with a degree in policy analysis and management and has a master's degree in education from Brooklyn College. Kathryn is looking forward to bringing her passion for accessibility and educational justice into curriculum design at NGPF. During her free time, Kathryn loves embarking on cooking projects, walking around her Seattle neighborhood with her dog, or lounging in a hammock with a book.

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