Gen Z have worse password habits than older generations, according to a new study on security habits.
The most popular password for people born after 1997 is ‘12345’, according to the research by password manager NordPass, followed by other sequential number combinations. The word ‘password’ was ranked fifth, while ‘skibidi’ was the seventh most popular pick, reported Independent.
The top password for Baby Boomers, people born between 1946 and 1964, was the slightly safer ‘123456’, which was also the number one pick for Millennials and Generation X.
“We tend to assume that the younger generations online are digital natives – having grown up immersed in the online world, they possess an innate understanding of cyber security and its risks. However, our research has debunked this misconception,” the report’s authors stated.
“Despite significant efforts over the years to educate users about cybersecurity through awareness campaigns, our data shows little improvement in widespread password hygiene and security habits.”
It follows similar findings from a study earlier this year by password management tool Bitwarden, which surveyed thousands of working adults across the Australia, France, Germany, Japan, the UK and US.
The youngest workers reported the highest rate of “password fatigue”, with 72 per cent of Gen Z respondents reusing the same credentials across multiple platforms. By contrast, only 42 per cent of Baby Boomers admitted to password reuse.
Despite the password habits, research has shown that Gen Z are more likely to use more advanced security measures like passkeys, biometrics and two-factor authentication.
Top 10 passwords of 2025:
• 123456
• admin
• 12345678
• 123456789
• 12345
• password
• Aa123456
• 1234567890
• Pass@123
• admin123
