Passwords relating to Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal most hackable

Thinking of unique password ideas can be frustrating, in fact searches for “any password ideas” have seen a 143% increase in the last 12 months.

And although your favourite sports team may seem like a go-to, it could increase your risk of being hacked. A new study by GlobalDots highlights that many football-related passwords have appeared in thousands of data leaks.

The study, which analyzed UK and US sports teams, found that passwords related to Liverpool, Chelsea, and Arsenal are the most common in data breaches within UK football. Liverpool F.C. related passwords top the list with over 970,000 appearances in data leaks, followed by Chelsea with more than 730,000, and Arsenal with over 600,000.

Here’s a breakdown of the top 10 UK football teams whose related passwords frequently appear in data leaks:

A GlobalDots spokesperson advises caution, stating, “If there’s a chance you’ve used any of these teams in your own personal collection of passwords, then this may be the sign you need to look to update your password security”.

While using a sports team might seem less obvious than simple sequences like ‘1234567’, it’s still risky because sports are a common interest.

The study emphasizes the importance of strong passwords, recommending avoiding common words, personal information, and using a combination of at least 12 characters, random words, mixed case letters, numbers, and symbols. Passwordless authentication is also recommended.

The full study can be found at: https://www.globaldots.com/resources/blog/most-hackable-sports-passwords/.