“123456”...Really? Still?
If you feel like you’ve been preaching good password management/hygiene for years and employees still use “password” as a password… you’re not wrong. According to Panda Security’s latest password statistics, users haven’t learned much. In fact, they’re repeating the same dangerous mistakes — just across more devices.

Let’s break down what this means for the security culture you’re trying to build.

The State of Passwords: Still in Critical Condition

• Top passwords are shockingly bad. (Seriously…even with everything you’re trying to accomplish.)
  “123456,” “admin,” and “qwerty” top the list globally. This demonstrates the disconnect between the life you and your IT team are living and the real world of people who are trying to do their job efficiently so they can tend to their personal lives.
  
• People reuse passwords constantly.
  Over 60% of people admit they reuse passwords across accounts, a statistic that’s held steady for years. One compromised password can lead to a cascade of access points for bad actors.
  
• Most people haven’t changed habits post-breach.
  Even after receiving breach notifications, over half of users don’t change their passwords.
  

Let that sink in: Most people do nothing even after learning their credentials were stolen.

Your Company’s Risk Just Multiplied

Bad password management isn't just user's problem. They’re business vulnerabilities. If you’re not addressing poor password practices head-on, you’re leaving your organization exposed in three key ways:

1. Credential stuffing made easy
   Attackers now use bots to try to leak credentials across thousands of sites. With reused passwords, it's only a matter of time before they hit paydirt inside your systems.
   
2. Phishing gets deadlier
   When employees reuse work passwords for personal sites (41% do), phishing a shopping site can become a gateway into your network.
   
3. Internal trust breaks down after a breach
   Nothing erodes credibility like telling employees to follow strong password rules — and then experiencing a breach because enforcement wasn’t consistent or clear.
   

So What Can You Do Differently?

Let’s skip the lectures. You’ve probably told employees to use stronger passwords a thousand times. Instead, here’s what works:

✅ Normalize password managers — now.

Your people aren’t lazy; they’re overwhelmed. A good password manager reduces friction, simplifies login chaos, and makes compliance feel effortless. Don’t just recommend them — enable and support them organization-wide.

✅ Focus on outcomes, not rules.

Instead of saying, “Make it 12 characters,” say: “Your password should survive a brute-force attack.” Instead of “change your password every 90 days,” say: “Use MFA so you don’t have to remember a dozen things.”

✅ Run targeted awareness campaigns, not generic piece trainings.

One-size-fits-all videos about password safety don’t cut it. Employees need real examples tied to their roles: how a weak password led to a vendor getting hacked, how MFA saved an exec from a BEC attempt, etc.

✅ Make MFA mandatory wherever you can.

Only 26% of users turn on multi-factor authentication when it’s optional. However, when the organization enforces it, adoption jumps to 91%. Don’t make it a suggestion—make it the standard.

Test your employees' password management skills and much more with a free quiz:

Cybersecurity Culture Starts With Language

Password management and safety are not technical issues — it’s a behavioral one. Most people want to do the right thing. But if your cybersecurity messages sound like legal disclaimers, you’ve already lost them.

Use plain language. Make it human. Reward good behavior. When someone messes up, guide them forward—don’t shame them.

The Bottom Line

Lousy password management habits are more than just frustrating — they’re a sign of a deeper problem: employees don’t feel like they’re part of your cybersecurity strategy.

At Aware Force, we create engaging, branded content that helps companies shift from compliance to culture. From interactive quizzes to eye-catching videos and posters, we help you build a workforce that sees cybersecurity as part of their job, not someone else’s problem.

Let’s make better password habits stick.
📩 Contact Aware Force today to transform your cybersecurity engagement strategy — one password at a time.