Most passwords can be cracked in under a minute, Kaspersky finds

Most hashed passwords can be cracked in less than a minute, according to a recent report by Tech Radar. Kaspersky researchers analyzed real-world password data from the dark web to determine the time it takes to crack common credentials. The findings highlight significant vulnerabilities in current password security practices.

Kaspersky researchers analyzed a dataset of 231 million unique passwords leaked on the dark web between 2023 and 2026. Using a single RTX 5090 GPU, they found that 48% of these passwords could be cracked in under a minute, and 60% in under an hour. The study also indicated that password length is a critical factor, with passwords shorter than eight characters often crackable within 24 hours. Adding numbers and special characters can increase cracking time, though common substitutions like "@" are frequently used.

The research also revealed a high rate of password reuse, with over half of the analyzed passwords having been exposed previously. These findings underscore the importance of using strong, unique passwords, password managers, and multi-factor authentication to protect online accounts.

Source: Tech Radar