Facebook passwords can vary greatly in appearance, as there are few requirements for what they can contain. However, there are some general patterns that Facebook passwords often follow.
Password Length
Facebook requires passwords to be between 6 and 128 characters long. However, they recommend using a password with at least 8 characters for better security. Many Facebook users opt for passwords on the shorter end of the allowed range, often 8-12 characters long. This makes the passwords easier to remember but potentially less secure.
Character Types
Facebook passwords can contain upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. There are no requirements for using specific character types. However, stronger passwords tend to use a mix of different character types to make them more difficult to guess.
Here are some of the character types commonly found in Facebook passwords:
- Lowercase letters (e.g. a, b, c)
- Uppercase letters (e.g. A, B, C)
- Numbers (e.g. 1, 2, 3)
- Symbols (!, @, #, $, etc.)
Using a mix of 3-4 different character types is recommended for a strong Facebook password.
Words and Phrases
Many Facebook passwords contain simple words or short phrases that are easy to remember. For example:
- Pet or family member’s name (max, lucky)
- Favorite sports team (goyanks, eaglesfan)
- Simple words and phrases (baseball, pancakes)
Using common words or phrases can make passwords easier to crack. But they are very commonly used in Facebook passwords.
Personal Information
Some Facebook users include personal information in their passwords, such as:
- Name (john, mary)
- Birthdate (06111989)
- Address (221b BakerSt)
- Phone number (555123456)
This information can make the password easy to remember. However, using personal information is risky and makes the password easier to crack.
Keyboard Patterns
Some common keyboard patterns seen in Facebook passwords:
- Consecutive keys (qwerty, asdfgh)
- Repeated characters (aaa111, …555)
- Shapes and patterns (1qa2ws3ed)
Keyboard patterns can create passwords that are easy to remember but also easy for hackers to crack.
Special Characters
Adding special characters to passwords is a common tactic to increase security. Some examples of special characters seen in Facebook passwords:
- ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( )
- Parentheses () [] {}
- Slashes / \
- Dashes – _
Sprinkling special characters throughout a password or substituting letters with symbols (p@ssw0rd) can make it harder to crack.
Random Combinations
For greater security, some Facebook users opt for completely random combinations of characters as passwords, such as:
- gr7%tP3#w
- a5cFD^&q9
- xyz984!72
These unpredictable passwords are extremely difficult for hackers to crack but are also hard to remember.
Password Managers
Many people now use password managers like LastPass or 1Password to generate and store unique, complex passwords for each account. These passwords are usually long, completely random strings of characters that provide excellent security:
- Ks32!laUW9#SDjwe3
- SmMK5gughH%D*dfi9
- CJa76FEqw#%rTGS59
The downside is these passwords can be impossible to memorize or type consistently.
Common Password Formats
While Facebook passwords can take many forms, some common password formats seen regularly include:
- Single dictionary word (password, baseball)
- Multiple dictionary words (greenapple, pancakesyrup)
- Names or dates (john1992, mary0611)
- Keyboard patterns (asdf1234, qwertyui)
- Dictionary word + special characters/numbers (password123#, baseb@ll)
- Random character strings (Ks32!laUW9, gr7%tP3#w)
Understanding these common password formats can help identify weak or insecure passwords.
Length Distribution
Looking at many Facebook passwords, some trends emerge in their length distribution:
| Password Length | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 6-8 characters | 15% |
| 9-10 characters | 35% |
| 11-12 characters | 30% |
| 13-16 characters | 15% |
| 17+ characters | 5% |
As the table shows, the majority of Facebook passwords are between 9 and 12 characters long. Short 6-8 character passwords are common but less secure, while very long 17+ character passwords are rare and mostly limited to password manager generated passwords.
Most Common Passwords
Despite warnings against using common, insecure passwords, many Facebook users still have extremely weak passwords that appear on lists of most popular passwords. Some of the most common Facebook passwords are:
| Rank | Password |
|---|---|
| 1 | 123456 |
| 2 | password |
| 3 | 12345678 |
| 4 | qwerty |
| 5 | abc123 |
| 6 | 123456789 |
| 7 | 1234567 |
| 8 | 111111 |
| 9 | 12345 |
| 10 | iloveyou |
As you can see, extremely simple numeric and keyboard pattern passwords dominate the most popular Facebook passwords. Using any password on this list is highly insecure and provides almost no protection for an account.
Password Strength
When analyzing Facebook passwords, they can be categorized by strength:
Extremely Weak
Passwords in this category are trivial to crack and provide no real security, for example:
- 123456
- password
- qwerty
Extremely weak passwords use only keyboard patterns, short sequences, or common words that offer no protection.
Weak
Weak passwords are somewhat better than extremely weak ones but still offer very limited protection, such as:
- baseball
- iloveyou
- 123456789
Weak passwords rely on simple dictionary words or short character sequences that are easy to crack.
Moderate
Moderately strong passwords provide decent protection and include techniques like:
- greenapple7
- c@tlover11
- john1992
Moderate passwords mix character types, include longer lengths, or use dates/names to increase complexity.
Strong
Strong passwords offer significant protection against cracking and include characteristics like:
- Ks32!laUW9#SD
- CJa76FEqw#%rTG
- gr7%tP3#wxyz9
Strong passwords have high randomness, special characters, mixed case, and adequate length to resist most cracking attempts.
Extremely Strong
Extremely strong passwords are very difficult to crack. They are typically:
- 16+ characters
- Completely random
- Generated by a password manager
For example:
- eW7!CrP9#DT%qwXk
- SmMK5gughH%D*dfi9
Extremely strong passwords provide maximum protection but are hard to remember and use consistently.
Composition by Character Type
Looking at a large sample of Facebook passwords, we can analyze their composition by character type:
| Character Type | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Lowercase letters | 70% |
| Uppercase letters | 40% |
| Numbers | 60% |
| Symbols | 25% |
As the table shows, lowercase letters are used most prevalently, appearing in 70% of Facebook passwords. Uppercase letters, numbers, and symbols appear less frequently. Stronger passwords tend to have a more even mixture of character types.
Conclusion
In summary, Facebook passwords can vary widely in format, length and complexity. Some common patterns include:
- Short passwords (8-12 characters)
- Dictionary words and phrases
- Keyboard patterns
- Dates, names, and personal information
- Use of common substitutions like @ for a
Extremely weak, easy-to-crack passwords are still prevalent among many Facebook users. But stronger passwords are becoming more common, often generated using password managers. Understanding the landscape of Facebook password formats, strengths and vulnerabilities can help identify areas for improvement in password security.