Weakest Passwords of 2022: Most Often Used Medical Terms

Research reveals that despite expert warnings, many people still use easily guessable passwords, including medical terms.

The Cybernews team examined 56 million breached and leaked passwords in 2022. The researchers looked at databases found on the darknet and clearnet hacker forums and other sources that had been breached and leaked this year.

The passwords were analyzed without identifying the people to whom they belonged.

Cybernews found that people still use easily remembered, therefore, easily guessable passwords, such as “123456” and “admin.” In addition, users often choose names of cities, countries, companies, and animals, well as swear words.

The researchers also discovered medical terms in breached and leaked passwords. Among the most commonly used were “ache” (31,287 times), “liver” (17,360), and “heart” (12,707).

Cybernews Head of Security Research Team Mantas Sasnauskas says it is important to have strong and long passwords. He recommends using randomly generated passwords or several different words that would create a long passphrase.

“If a password appears on the list of popular passwords, or if it contains a commonly used word, such as a medical term, it may take seconds for hackers to crack it,” he says.

Sasnauskas warns against reusing the same password for different accounts.

“If, for example, your social media password was hacked, threat actors will try to use it on your other accounts. If you use the same password for a patient’s portal, criminals may gain access to your medical records. And that may have severe consequences, such as identity theft,” he says.

Healthnews highlights the importance of using strong passwords for all your accounts, including health, wellness, period tracking, and other apps.