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More than 50 Percent of Leaked Passwords End with a Number – Research Reveals
To mark the occasion of World Password Day, Kaspersky experts analysed 231 million unique passwords in major password leaks from 2023 to 2026, and uncovered several key patterns.
First, 68% of modern passwords can be cracked within a day. Second, it turned out that the vast majority of compromised passwords either begin or end with a digit – a common pattern that makes them potentially vulnerable to brute force attacks.
And third, users also favour positive and trending words; for example, over the past couple of years, use of the word “Skibidi” in analysed passwords surged 36 times, mirroring the rise of that Internet trend.
In recent years, secure passwords’ rules have become a widely discussed topic. More and more services now demand passwords that are at least 10 characters long, include an uppercase letter, and contain a number or a symbol.
Yet a comparative analysis of leaked passwords from the past few years shows that even following some of those rules does not guarantee resistance to brute‑force or AI‑driven attacks.
Kaspersky experts share practical advice on how to make passwords more complex and secure, and how not to repeat common mistakes.
Be creative with using symbols and numbers
Among the leaked passwords that contain just one symbol, the “@” sign tops the list, appearing in 10% of cases. The next most common symbol is a dot (.), found in 3% of passwords. Among all analysed passwords “@” takes second place in terms of prevalence, and in third place is “!”.
Numbers also follow similarly predictable patterns:
53% of examined passwords end with digits;
17% begin with digits;
Nearly 12% include a numeric sequence that resembles a date (from 1950 to 2030);
3% of leaked passwords include keyboard sequencies like “qwerty” or “ytrewq”, but most of them are digital sequencies like “1234”.
Alexey Antonov, Data Science Team Lead at Kaspersky, notes that commonly used symbols, numbers, or dates – especially when placed in obvious positions (such as at the beginning or end of a password) – significantly simplify brute force attacks for cybercriminals. That’s why it’s highly recommended to give preference to less popular characters, and avoid numeric or keyboard sequences.
“Bruteforce works by systematically trying every possible character combination until the correct password is found. When attackers already know which characters users tend to favour, the time required to crack a password drops dramatically. To avoid the temptation of choosing predictable symbols, entrust password creation to dedicated generators that produce random letters, numbers, and symbols with equal probability”, says Alexey Antonov.
Between… Eden and hell: Try to avoid using words in a password
The research shows that emotional and trending words frequently become the basis for a password. For example, from 2023 to 2026 the use of the word “Skibidi” in passwords increased 36 times – mirroring the rapid rise of that Internet trend.
Kaspersky experts have also conducted analysis of the occurrence of positive and negative words in passwords, and it turned out that there are more positive ones. Among those regularly appearing are positive words like “love”, “magic”, “friend”, “team”, “angel” and “star”, “eden”. Interestingly, positive words are much more common than negative ones. However, words like “hell”, “devil”, “nightmare” and “scar” also occur.
“Using a single‑word password, even with a trailing number or a special character, is a weak choice. The pattern is too predictable, making it easy for attackers to guess. Instead, craft a passphrase that strings together several unrelated words, each supplemented with internal numbers and symbols, and sprinkle in a few intentional misspellings.
The longer and more random and unpredictable the password is, the harder it is to crack. As an additional way to protect yourself, enable two-factor authentication (2FA) wherever possible,” recommends Alexey Antonov.
Is password length important?
It’s well known that longer passwords are harder to crack, and the analysis of leaked passwords confirms this principle. However, with the rise of AI driven tools, length alone no longer guarantees security: even lengthy passwords can be compromised if they follow predictable patterns.
The research shows that short passwords of up to eight characters that appeared in the leak are typically cracked by brute force attacks in under a day. However, thanks to AI-powered smart algorithms, more than 20% of 15-character passwords can be broken in less than a minute.
What’s more 60.2% of all analysed passwords – regardless of length – can be cracked in about an hour; 68.2% – in a day.
In the examples provided, the calculations assume a single RTX 5090 GPU and the MD5 algorithm. In real‑world scenarios, attackers can rent multiple GPUs – ten, a hundred, or even more. Under such conditions, the cracking rate would increase potentially by several orders of magnitude.
In modern terms, truly secure passwords not only meet the gold standard of 16+ characters, but also consist of random, non-repeating letters, numbers, and symbols, and are unique for each account. To help users create such passwords, Kaspersky has added a password generation feature to the Kaspersky Password Generator website. Now users can not only check their passwords for leaks, but also generate secure passwords for free.
For easy and secure password management, auto-fill, and cross-device synchronisation consider using a password manager in which all credentials are stored in a secure vault and protected by a single master password. This eliminates the need to remember hundreds of passwords while keeping them safe from breaches.
What’s more, not only passwords, but also passkeys can be created and stored directly in Kaspersky Password Manager, which allows not only to sign in to supported services with a single tap, but also to access passkeys on all devices owing to secure synchronisation.
Union Bank of Nigeria has secured certification under the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) version 4.0.1, a global standard for protecting payment card data.
The certification took effect on August 11, 2026, confirming that the bank’s systems for storing, processing and transmitting customers’ credit and debit card information meet stringent international security requirements.
PCI DSS certification is designed to reduce the risk of payment card data breaches and financial fraud while strengthening customer confidence in electronic payment systems.
The assessment covered key areas of Union Bank’s operations, including network infrastructure, card issuance, ATM and POS transactions, payment processing, reconciliation, settlement, chargebacks, dispute resolution and retail banking.
Union Bank was assessed and certified under the Service Provider category.
The certification process lasted a full year and involved quarterly assessments, with support from departmental, business and functional heads across the bank. Digital security firm Digital Encode supported the process, while the final independent audit was conducted by CyberCube, an accredited Qualified Security Assessor.
Yetunde B. Oni, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Union Bank, said the certification demonstrates the bank’s commitment to protecting customer information.
“The security of our customers’ information is central to everything we do at Union Bank. This certification reaffirms that our payment systems and processes meet a rigorous global standard, and it reflects the discipline of colleagues across the Bank who work every day to keep customer data safe.”
The renewal also ensures that Union Bank maintains continuous PCI DSS certification, in line with the Central Bank of Nigeria’s requirement for banks to sustain compliance without interruption.
New data from CFA Society Nigeria is reshaping how the country’s financial sector thinks about talent development, with Access emerging as the single largest source of CFA candidates in Nigeria, distinction industry watchers say signals a deeper shift in how leading institutions are building investment expertise from within.
In its Where Nigeria’s Finance Professionals Work series, published in a national daily, CFA Society Nigeria placed Access first among employers of CFA candidates nationwide, with 82 candidates enrolled in the programme, more than double the 38 recorded at the next-placed institution and well ahead of every other bank or financial services firm on the list.
Access also ranked second among employers of CFA charterholders, with 11 professionals who have completed all three levels of the Programme and met its experience and ethics requirements.
For an industry that has long measured itself by balance sheet size and branch count, the rankings point to a different kind of competition: one over who is building the deepest bench of certified, globally credentialed talent.
CFA Society Nigeria compiled the data from its Salesforce Membership Database as at June 2026, and described the exercise as a way of recognising employers whose people “bring rigour, integrity and global best practices into the workplace every day.”
Analysts following the sector say the outcome is notable less for the ranking itself than for what it suggests about talent strategy across Africa’s financial services industry. A single institution developing more aspiring charterholders than the rest of the market combined raises the floor for professional standards nationally, not just within one balance sheet.
Every candidate who advances through the CFA Programme adds to a shared pool of ethics-trained, analytically rigorous professionals that Nigeria’s capital markets, pension funds and asset managers all eventually draw from.
Access Holdings Group Chief Executive Officer Innocent C. Ike, commenting on the rankings, framed the achievement in terms of institution-building rather than recruitment: “Every candidate on that list represents our commitment to building institutions and professionals that endure.”
The remark echoes a broader thesis increasingly voiced by market observers, that talent depth, not scale alone, is what will determine which African financial institutions earn lasting global credibility.
That distinction sits at the centre of Access’s stated ambition to become the World’s Most Respected African Financial Services Group. If the CFA numbers are any indication, the Group’s route to that goal runs less through square metres of branch network and more through the calibre of the people sitting inside it, a bet that Nigeria’s finance professionals, and the institutions that will one day hire them, are already placing alongside Access.
Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has announced plans to introduce Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) baggage tracking technology across domestic and international airport terminals to tackle the growing problem of delayed, misrouted and missing luggages
Michael Achimugu, director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, NCAA, disclosed this at a stakeholder engagement forum in Lagos.
Achimugu said the RFID-enabled system would replace the traditional barcode-based baggage tracking framework and provide airlines and passengers with real-time visibility of checked luggage from check-in to final collection.
According to him, the technology would improve baggage traceability, reduce mishandling and strengthen accountability across the baggage-handling chain.
Unlike conventional barcode systems, RFID technology allows baggage to be automatically scanned at multiple points without requiring direct line of sight, enabling real-time tracking of luggage throughout its journey.
Achimugu said issues involving short-landed, missing, lost or damaged baggage had remained among the major complaints from air travellers, alongside flight delays.
He said the introduction of RFID technology was therefore aimed at improving baggage-handling standards and restoring passenger confidence in the aviation sector.
The NCAA said the initiative also aligns with IATA Resolution 753, which requires airlines to track baggage at key points during the passenger journey.
The authority expects the technology to provide more accurate information on the location of luggage, facilitate quicker resolution of baggage-related complaints and improve the overall passenger experience.
The NCAA said the initiative would also strengthen accountability among airlines and other stakeholders involved in baggage handling at Nigerian airports.
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