In 2023, password choices in the Russian Federation followed a familiar pattern that echoed a global habit: many users relied on simple, predictable strings. A national newspaper cited findings from a DLBI service study showing numeric passwords dominated the landscape. Sequences such as 123456, 12345zz, and 1000000 appeared at the top of password lists, illustrating how convenience often wins over caution when securing online accounts across different platforms.
On the alphabetic side, terms like girlfriend and ytsuken were among the most common, with classic words like password and hello also turning up in the mix. This trend highlights a broader tendency: people frequently default to recognizable words or easy keystrokes instead of creating unique and robust credentials for each new service.
The report notes that the reliance on simple patterns is not limited to one country. Users around the world still lean heavily on straightforward sequences like 123456 and 123456789. A notable development was the appearance of 1000000 in the ranking for the first time, drawing attention for its surprising inclusion among top choices.
Other frequent entries in the upper tier included 123123qwe and qwerty, while the form Qwerty123 also ranked prominently. The emergence of these particular combinations signals a shift in the password landscape, pointing to a growing preference for easy-to-memorize patterns even in the face of widespread guidance on better security practices.
Representatives from DLBI explained that many individuals reuse the same passwords across multiple services and sites. This behavior persists even when simple numeric or alphabetic patterns are involved, increasing the risk across several accounts if a single credential is compromised.
Researchers analyzed data from roughly 200 million user accounts that became publicly accessible due to data breaches in the prior year. Experts observed that only about 22 percent of those passwords—roughly 44 million—were unique, while the rest were duplicates or reused across different services. This finding underscores how much risk grows when the same key is trusted across many contexts.
Analysts stress the importance of adopting safer authentication practices and staying aware of the evolving threat landscape. The aim is to minimize exposure by avoiding predictable patterns and strengthening defenses across both personal and professional online environments, particularly on social networks and digital services that store sensitive data.