To deter cyberattacks the UK government prohibits the use of “easy” passwords

The UK has banned common and easily guessed passwords such as "admin" or "12345" as part of the world's first laws to protect against cyber attacks.

In addition to common passwords, if a user suggests a shared password, they will be prompted to change it when creating a new account.

This comes at a time when homes full of smart devices may be exposed to more than 12,000 hacking attacks from around the world in one week, with 2,684 attempts to guess weak passwords on five devices, according to an investigation conducted by Which Company.

The new measures come into effect in the United Kingdom on Monday, making it the first country in the world to implement these laws, and are part of the Product Security and Communications Infrastructure (PSTI) regime designed to improve the United Kingdom’s resilience to cyber attacks and ensure that malicious interference does not impact the Kingdom’s economy. United States and the global economy more broadly.

Under the law, manufacturers of all internet-connected devices, from mobile phones and smart doorbells to high-tech refrigerators, will be required to implement minimum security standards.

They will also have to publish contact details so bugs and issues can be reported and resolved and tell consumers the minimum time they can expect to receive important security updates.

Password management website NordPass found that the most used passwords in the UK last year were: 

123456

password

qwerty

liverpool

123456789

arsenal

12345678

12345

abc123

chelsea