📅 Outlook hack: Drag and drop emails to create appointments or tasks. Open Outlook, grab the email you want and drag it onto the Calendar or Tasks icon in the bottom-left panel. A new window will pop up. Now, just edit the details like the subject line or time and hit Save & Close.
These passwords take 1 second to crack
Here’s a wild stat: 78% of the world’s most common passwords can be cracked in less than a second. The most-used password in the world, “123456,” has been leaked more than 3 million times. And get this: 1.2 million of those were corporate passwords.
This is based on fresh research from my password manager pick. For six years, NordPass has studied how we handle passwords. Let’s dive into the numbers. Spoiler: It’s not pretty.
The most common leaked passwords
NordPass analyzed more than 9 million stolen passwords. The most common:
- 123456 (found 3,018,050 times)
- 123456789 (found 1,625,135 times)
- 12345678 (found 884,740 times)
- password (found 692,151 times)
- qwerty123 (found 642,638 times)
- qwerty1 (found 583,630 times)
- 111111 (found 459,730 times)
- 12345 (found 395,573 times)
- secret (found 363,491 times)
- 123123 (found 351,576 times)
All of these take less than 1 second to crack. One trick is a brute-force attack, where hackers try every password combo until they hit the jackpot.
They also use leaked password databases from previous breaches.
Because many people reuse their passwords, your leaked Netflix login could allow them to access your cable company account, too.
Making a big mistake worse
Of course, all these were stolen or hacked, so you’d expect them to be weak. But the list also includes some you might be using even if you’re more tech-savvy.
Think sequential numbers or letters on a keyboard (e.g., “567890” or “asdfgh”), repeated characters (e.g., “99999”), or easy-to-guess words like “princess” or “baseball.” You’re not the only one using pet names, hobbies or your favorite teams for inspiration.
Here’s the scariest part: 40% of the most common passwords in the personal and work lists are identical. That means if hackers get into one of your personal accounts, they can waltz right into your work systems, too.
Security tip: 3 dumb mistakes putting you at risk online
There are countless cybersecurity threats you need to watch out for. The AV-TEST Institute says it detects over 450,000 new malicious programs every day.
We’ve compiled some easy mistakes you could be making right now. You may discover a weakness that puts your digital life in danger. Thanks to our sponsor, TotalAV, you can scroll down to stay safe!
Update your Apple gear ASAP: Apple dropped important security updates that patch a serious bug in Safari for Macs, iPhones and iPads. Google’s Threat Analysis Group believes a foreign government is behind the attack. On a Mac, click the Apple icon > System Settings. Look for “Software Update Available.” The latest version is Sequoia 15.1.1. Update your iPhone to iOS 18.1.1 under Settings > General > Software Update.
3 billion-plus
Phone coordinates collected and sold by data brokers. The kicker? They expose U.S. military and intelligence workers, including people who work in places like nuclear weapons facilities. Anything for a buck.
How to (kindly) ask people not to post your kids on social
A 27-year-old grad student was just caught using pics of real kids on the internet to make AI child porn for pedophiles. Even more disgusting? He worked by request. This story made my skin crawl, and it brings me to a question I’ve been getting more and more often:
Streamline workflow with these automation tips
Are you sick of wasting time on repetitive tasks? You don’t have to go it alone. Automation can streamline lead generators, customer service and other business needs. We’ll show you how in our step-by-step guide to small business automation.
🧼 Give your feed a refresh: Instagram is testing a feature that lets you reset your algorithmic suggestions for your Feed, Reels and Explore sections. Head to Settings > Content Preferences > Reset Suggested Content. Note: This reset doesn’t delete anything and won’t change the ads you see.
ChatGPT Search: The (maybe? probably?) Google Search-killer is finally popping up on free ChatGPT accounts. Check yours: Log into ChatGPT and look for the world icon at the bottom. Here’s what it’s best for.
👀 Your car is spying on you: The average new car is packed with approximately 1,400 microchips collecting a ton of data on you. Plug in your car’s VIN here to see what your manufacturer knows. Click Get the Report to see details like your name, address and maybe even recordings of your voice.
🩻 It’s not all black and white: You’re putting your private medical data at risk by asking AI bots to analyze X-rays and medical info. It’s tempting, I get it. But ChatGPT and the others don’t have to comply with HIPAA. If you want “Dr. AI” to help, be sure to redact personal info like your name, address and birthday. You never know where this info might end up.
Is your uncle always posting? Snooze him on Facebook so his posts won’t show up on your News Feed. Click the three-dot icon (top left corner) on one of his posts and select Snooze [friend] for 30 days. Don’t worry, you can still pick Unfollow [friend] for a more permanent solution.
Only you can prevent garbage fires: Batteries, especially lithium-ion and nickel-cadmium types, should be taken to a hazardous waste collection center, not tossed in the trash. Search online for your city or town’s name plus the term “electronics disposal.” Or use this handy site.
📝 Spellcheck your ALL CAPS: By default, Microsoft Office programs and Outlook don’t spellcheck words written in all caps, so your BIG TITLES might be full of typos. To fix this in Office apps, go to File > Options > Proofing and uncheck Ignore words in UPPERCASE. For Outlook, go to File > Options > Mail > Editor Options > Proofing and uncheck Ignore words in UPPERCASE.
🚨 Black Friday alert: Chinese scammers are imitating big brands like L.L. Bean and Ikea with “deals” up to 80% off. They use tracking pixels in Meta and TikTok to detect your location and translate the site so it looks legit. Don’t fall for too-good-to-be-true offers, and shop on official sites only!
Coming soon to Microsoft Teams: Real-time AI-powered translation to communicate in other languages. It even simulates your voice. Expect the initial version with support for up to nine languages early next year. Bonus: Soon, Teams will recap visual content (like PowerPoint slides) shared on-screen during a meeting. Thank goodness … I hate presentations.
10 minutes
Max time doctors recommend you spend on the toilet. Any longer and you’re gonna get hemorrhoids and weakened pelvic muscles. Leave your phone out of the bathroom. I hear you: “But, no!”
🛑 Stop phone theft: Android’s new Theft Protection feature keeps your data safe if someone grabs your phone and runs off with it. Go to Settings > Google > All services > Theft protection and toggle Turn on to enable the change. You’ll get this feature if your phone’s running on Android 10 or later.
🎧 Free (malware) to a good home: Cybercriminals are slipping malware into podcasts. They’re targeting podcast-hosting services, inserting links to pirated software and game cheats in episode descriptions and playlists. The links bypass Spotify’s filters and get a nice little boost in search engine rankings. Say it with me: Don’t click on random links, especially for “free” software.
Anyone can be a math whiz: iPhone’s new Math Notes tool is neat. Open the Calculator app, tap the calculator icon (bottom right corner) and choose Math Notes from the dropdown menu. Say you’re traveling overseas and need to convert the temperature. Write 30 Celsius = and it’ll autofill the Fahrenheit temp for you. This tool works with anything math-related!