Observed annually on the first Thursday in May, World Password Day is a holiday designed to remind us that we need to take better care of our passwords and develop better password habits. We live in a world that’s more interconnected and increasingly digital, so our passwords are even more important than they have ever been.

It’s a good idea for you to not only check your passwords on this day but also to check them regularly to ensure that your digital life is as secure as possible.

The History of World Password Day

World Password Day is a holiday that was first recommended by security expert Mark Burnett in his book, “Perfect Passwords.” Eight years later, in May of 2013, Intel Security officially recommended that the first Thursday in May be designated as World Password Day. It has been observed ever since.

Facts About Passwords

If you think that you know everything there is to know about passwords, then you might want to stick around because you might not know as much as you think. We were quite surprised by some of the facts we learned about passwords, and we think some of these facts might surprise you as well. Let’s take a look at them.

• In 2013, there were 130 million accounts stolen in the Adobe Hack.
• Of those 130 million stolen accounts, 3.2 million had passwords like “123456,” “password,” or “12345678.”
• The minimum password length to avoid brute-force cracking is 13 characters.
• Almost half of the organizations store administrative passwords in spreadsheets or Word documents.
• An eight-character password using only upper or lower-case characters has over 200 billion potential password combinations.
• Using 1991 cracker technology, it would take over 6,000 years to crack a random eight-character password with random symbols and letters.
• That same eight-character password could be cracked in 2021 in about 9 years.
• Approximately a third of all phishing emails are opened by the recipient.
• In 2017, 90% of all phishing emails contained some form of ransomware.
• The list of the top ten passwords used over the past five years has hardly changed.

How To Observe World Password Day

World Password Day can be observed by taking a few moments to assess your passwords. Most experts recommend that you regularly change your passwords. And when you change your passwords, it’s important to use a password that’s long and uses several different combinations of characters.

On this day, it’s also a good idea to ensure that you have two-factor authentication activated on your important accounts. Also, make sure that you log out of banking accounts when you’re done with them, don’t store your passwords on your phone or computer, and ensure that your router is password-secured. To spread the word about this holiday, you can also use the hashtag #WorldPasswordDay on your social media accounts.