Do the ornaments you adorn your Christmas tree with reflect you or your family’s interests? If not, maybe you should rectify that. We recently went hands on with Hallmark’s realistic Xbox 360 replica ornament, which plays a snippet of audio from Halo 3. As it turns out, there are many other ornaments available that are specifically designed to evoke nostalgia and make us open our wallets (surprise, surprise). In fact, did you know that the company also makes a CRT monitor with The Oregon Trail displayed on it? It’s rad.

Even if video games aren’t your jam, Hallmark has a stranglehold on the intersection of ornaments and entertainment, with numerous options covering your favorite TV shows, movies, or favorite brands (maybe your household is the type that’d proudly display a mac and cheese ornament, maybe not). We’ve included some of our favorites below, and even if you aren’t necessarily the target audience, they’d make for a great gift. We even threw in some non-Hallmark options, because why not?

Passwords play a huge role in how you stay safe online. They protect your accounts, devices and money. Still, many people pick logins that criminals can guess in seconds. 

The latest NordPass report shows this problem again. This year, “admin” took the top spot as the most common password in the United States.

NordPass and NordStellar, two cybersecurity companies that track leaked credentials and online threats, reviewed millions of exposed passwords to spot trends. They also examined how password habits differ across generations. The pattern is clear: many of us still rely on simple words, easy number strings and familiar keyboard patterns. These choices give attackers a quick path into countless accounts.

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183 MILLION EMAIL PASSWORDS LEAKED: CHECK YOURS NOW

Most common passwords in the United States

NordPass shared its top 20 list for 2025. “Admin” sits at number one. Variations of the word “password” take up five spots. Number strings appear nine times. One explicit term even made the list.

Here are the 20 most common passwords in the USA this year:

• admin
• password
• 123456
• 12345678
• 123456789
• 12345
• Password
• 12345678910
• Gmail.12345
• Password1
• Aa123456
• f*******t
• 1234567890
• abc123
• Welcome1
• Password1!
• password1
• 1234567
• 111111
• 123123

Weak logins remain a major problem because criminals rely on automated tools. These tools try simple words and common patterns first. When millions of people reuse the same easy passwords, attackers succeed fast.

HOW TO USE PASSKEYS TO KEEP YOUR COMPUTER SAFE

Global trends show the same risky password behavior

The United States is not alone. Globally, “123456” ranks as the most common password. “Admin” and “12345678” follow closely behind. These patterns appear because they are easy to remember. Sadly, they are also easy to crack.

Researchers noticed one shift worth noting: more passwords now include special characters. The increase is sharp. However, most examples remain weak. Strings like P@ssw0rd and Abcd@1234 still follow predictable rules that tools can break with little effort.

The word “password” stays popular around the world. People even use it in local languages. This shows how widespread the problem is.

Why younger generations still make unsafe password choices

Many people assume younger adults understand digital safety. They grew up with phones and social media. Research shows that this assumption is wrong.

NordPass found that an 18-year-old often picks the same weak password patterns as an 80-year-old. Younger users favor long number sequences. Older users lean toward names. Neither group creates secure or random strings. Generations Z and Y tend to avoid names. Generations X and older use them often. Each approach carries risk because attackers expect both patterns.

AI-POWERED SCAMS TARGET KIDS WHILE PARENTS STAY SILENT

Why weak passwords remain a big threat

Weak passwords fuel data breaches and account takeovers. Criminals run scripts that check billions of combinations every second. When your password is common, they break in fast.

A single stolen login can expose your email, social accounts, bank information and more. Many attacks start this way. Once criminals get inside one account, they often try the same password on others.

Steps to stay safe with your passwords 

You can improve your digital safety with a few simple habits. These steps help block common attacks and protect your accounts.

1) Create strong random passwords

Pick long passwords or short passphrases. Aim for at least 20 characters. Mix letters, numbers and special characters. Avoid patterns. 

2) Avoid password reuse

Use a unique password for each account. If one login gets hacked, the others stay safe.

3) Review and update weak passwords

Check your old logins. Replace anything short, predictable or reused. Fresh passwords lower your risk.

4) Use a password manager

A password manager creates secure passwords and stores them safely. It also fills them in for you, so you do not need to remember them.

Next, see if your email has been exposed in past breaches. Our No. 1 password manager pick includes a built-in breach scanner that checks whether your email address or passwords have appeared in known leaks. If you discover a match, immediately change any reused passwords and secure those accounts with new, unique credentials. 

Check out the best expert-reviewed password managers of 2025 at Cyberguy.com.

5) Turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA)

MFA adds a second check before you log in. It is one of the easiest ways to block attackers.

6) Keep your software updated

Update your phone, computer browsers and apps on a regular schedule. These updates patch security gaps that criminals try to exploit. When you fall behind on updates, weak passwords become even riskier because attackers can pair old software flaws with easy logins.

Pro Tip: Use a data removal service

Leaked passwords often come from old profiles on data broker sites you forgot about. A data removal service can wipe your personal info from those sites and reduce how much of your data ends up on breach lists. When less of your information is floating around online, your accounts become less tempting targets.

While no service can guarantee the complete removal of your data from the internet, a data removal service is really a smart choice. They aren’t cheap, and neither is your privacy. These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites. It’s what gives me peace of mind and has proven to be the most effective way to erase your personal data from the internet. By limiting the information available, you reduce the risk of scammers cross-referencing data from breaches with information they might find on the dark web, making it harder for them to target you.

Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com.

Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: Cyberguy.com.

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Kurt’s key takeaways 

Weak passwords remain a huge issue in 2025, even with new tools and better education. You have the power to improve your security with a few quick changes. When you build strong habits, you make it harder for criminals to get inside your accounts. Small steps add up fast and give you far more protection online.

What do you think keeps people stuck on weak passwords even when the risks are clear? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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Copyright 2025 CyberGuy.com.  All rights reserved.

We’ve seen Sony’s DualSense Edge discounted on a few occasions this year, and now it’s back on sale ahead of Black Friday as part of Sony’s ongoing holiday promo. Right now, you can snag the pro-style gamepad in either black or white at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy for around $169 ($30 off), which is just $10 shy of its previous low. The black version of the DualSense Edge is seldom discounted by this much, so now’s a good time to pick one up if you prefer the stealthier look.

If you spend a lot of time gaming on the PlayStation 5, the DualSense Edge elevates the experience by offering more customization than Sony’s standard DualSense controller. For starters, its deep software integration with the PS5 lets you create up to four profiles, each with customization options for button mapping, stick sensitivity, and assigning commands to the rear buttons. You can create separate profiles for Ghost of Yōtei and Arc Raiders, for instance, and swap between them on the fly without having to leave your game.

In addition to custom profiles, the DualSense Edge lets you adjust the feel of the triggers (L2 and R2), so you can tailor them to specific play styles and games. You can set the triggers to be more sensitive for online shooters like Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, or less sensitive for racing games to achieve smoother acceleration and braking. Moreover, the Edge makes it easy to swap out stick modules in case one stops working.

As much as we enjoy how much you can customize the DualSense Edge, though, it’s not without its faults. In his review, The Verge’s Cameron Faulkner found that the controller averaged only about eight hours of battery life on a full charge, which is worse than the standard DualSense controller. It does, however, come with a long charging cable that can lock into the controller, preventing it from accidentally being yanked out.