AnalysisPublished 7 May 2026

Nearly half of the world’s passwords can be cracked in under a minute | Kaspersky official blog

Source Kaspersky Security Blog

Description

Using just a powerful graphics card, hackers can crack 60% of real user passwords in less than an hour. Even more alarming, 48% of passwords take less than a minute to compromise! Read our report to learn about the methods attackers use, the common password patterns folks resort to, and what you can do to protect your data.

Impact

The impact is primarily the increased risk of unauthorized access due to weak passwords that can be quickly cracked by attackers using GPU-accelerated methods. This can lead to account compromise and potential data breaches if passwords are reused or protect sensitive systems. There are no specific software vulnerabilities or exploits involved; rather, the threat arises from poor password strength and predictable patterns.

Defensive guidance

No direct patches or fixes apply since this is a password strength issue rather than a software vulnerability. Users and organizations should enforce strong password policies, encourage use of password managers, implement multi-factor authentication, and educate users on creating complex, unique passwords. The vendor advisory does not indicate any automated mitigation or official fixes.

Summary

The threat involves the rapid cracking of user passwords leveraging high-performance graphics processing units (GPUs). According to Kaspersky's research, 48% of passwords can be compromised in less than a minute, and 60% within an hour, demonstrating the effectiveness of modern cracking techniques against commonly used passwords. The analysis underscores the prevalence of weak password choices and the risks they pose to user security.

References

kaspersky.com/blog/passwords-hacking-research-2026/55743/ (opens in a new tab)

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AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 8 May 2026, 02:29 UTC

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