According to a new study on security habits, Gen Z has worse password habits than older generations.
According to NordPass password manager research, the most popular password for people born after 1997 is “12345,” followed by other sequential number combinations. The word “password” came in fifth, while “skibidi” was the seventh most popular choice.
The top password for Baby Boomers — people born between 1946 and 1964 — was the slightly more secure “123456,” which was also the number one choice for Millennials and Generation X.
The authors of the report stated: “We tend to think that younger online generations are digital natives – having been immersed in the online world, they have an innate understanding of cyber security and its risks. However, our research disproves this misconception.”
“Despite significant efforts over the years to educate users about cybersecurity through awareness campaigns, our data shows little improvement in public password hygiene and security habits.”
This follows similar findings from a study earlier this year by password management tool Bitwarden that surveyed thousands of working adults in Australia, France, Germany, Japan, the UK and the US.
The youngest workers reported the highest levels of “password fatigue,” with 72 percent of Gen Z respondents reusing the same credentials across multiple platforms. In contrast, only 42 percent of Baby Boomers admitted to reusing passwords.
Despite their password habits, research has shown that Gen Z is more likely to use more advanced security measures such as passkeys, biometrics and two-factor authentication.
A fraud report from Google in June found that Gen X and Baby Boomers are significantly more likely to use passwords as their primary login method.
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“Digitally native Gen Z users are bypassing old security norms like passwords and opting for more advanced authentication tools,” said Evan Kostoinos, vice president of privacy, safety and security at Google.
“While at first glance not regularly updating passwords seems like poor security hygiene, the tendency to gravitate toward more modern login methods that are both more secure and easier to use is a good thing.
“Older methods like passwords are not only painful to maintain, but also more susceptible to phishing and often leaked through data breaches.”
Google is leading the way among several tech companies pushing to end passwords, both for user convenience and security.
