Are your passwords strong? The Guardia Civil warn of five passwords you should never use

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The police also recommend changing passwords every six months and using mnemonics as a tool for generating strong patterns

Rossel Aparicio

Málaga

Monday, 23 February 2026, 15:31

The Guardia Civil have issued a new warning to the public about the risks of using weak passwords on mobile phones and other electronic devices. These passwords are the only thing stopping hackers from accessing emails, bank accounts, social media profiles and a long list of other everyday applications.

To protect the population, a recent Guardia Civil post has listed the five common password combinations that users should avoid. The list includes:

- consecutive numbers (12345, or example);

- personal names or those of important people (children, spouses, close relatives, etc.);

- telephone numbers;

- special dates (birthdays, wedding dates, etc.);

- the word 'password' in any language;

- consecutive keyboard letters (QWERTY, for example).

In addition, the National Cyber-Security Institute (Incibe) recommends not reusing the same password and periodically updating them every six months.

Incibe also recommends choosing password that are at least eight to ten characters long: the longer the password, the better. A password is even stronger if it contains a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters.

Another tip for creating passwords is to use mnemonics - memory aids that connect ideas with images, sentences or acronyms to "generate robust combinations that are difficult to decipher".