The names of sports clubs, celebrities and TV shows are among the most common passwords used by Irish people, but also prime targets for cybercriminals, new research has revealed.
Data from Cyber Skills shows that passwords such as "liverpoolfc", "roykeane" and ''glenroe" are widely used and easily guessed by hackers.
Globally, the most commonly hacked passwords are "123456", "qwerty" and "password".
To mark Cyber Security Month, Irish people are being urged to re-evaluate and strengthen their password choices.
"What many consider a 'strong' password, referencing cultural touchpoints, is in fact easily deciphered by cybercriminals," said Dr Hazel Murray from Cyber Skills.
"There's a common misconception that if a password contains personal information or interests that it will be strong."
"Good passwords are multiple words strung together and avoid easily recognisable phrases," Dr Murray said.
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Dr Richard Browne, Director of the National Cyber Security Centre, said people should use strong, long diverse passwords.
"The longer the password, the more difficult it is to break," Dr Browne said.
"If you go to ten characters or more it gets very very difficult to break it," he added.
Cyber Security Month is an annual campaign to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity.
Through a series of events, workshops and online resources, the campaign aims to empower individuals and businesses to take control of their digital lives and protect themselves against cyber threats.
