: Maintained by Daniel Miessler , this is the most famous collection. It includes specific files like 10k-most-common.txt and the 100k-most-used-passwords-NCSC.txt .
The most immediate danger is . A standard text file offers no protection, as it does not use advanced encryption algorithms to safeguard sensitive data. This is a serious problem because it can lead to unauthorized access . Secrets like API keys, passwords, and tokens committed to repositories can be exploited by unauthorized users, creating security, compliance, and financial risks for organizations.
: Sequences based on common human habits, like sequential numbers or keyboard patterns. Top GitHub Repositories for Password Wordlists passwordtxt github top
: Includes frequency-ranked wordlists derived from common passwords, names, and English words. MIT Wordlist
To help you secure your development workflow, tell me more about your current setup: : Maintained by Daniel Miessler , this is
Beyond individual cases, the scale of the problem is staggering. In 2024, security telemetry showed over , including API keys, tokens, and database passwords exposed in code and Git history. This has prompted GitHub to develop its own secret scanning partner program, which finds strings of text that look like passwords, SSH keys, or API tokens, partnering with over 40 cloud service providers to automatically remediate exposed API keys in public repositories. However, these protections are reactive; the best defense is proactive prevention.
If you must store password lists in Git, encrypt them using GPG or similar tools before committing. Some repositories demonstrate how to encrypt a password.txt file locally, push it to Git, and decrypt it on CI servers. A standard text file offers no protection, as
Remember: the only truly secure password.txt is the one that never exists in your Git repository in the first place. If you must store passwords, do so in a secure secrets manager, never in plaintext, and certainly never in a file that can be discovered by a simple GitHub search. Your future self—and your organization's security posture—will thank you.
The search term refers to the widely sought-after plaintext wordlists hosting the most common human credentials used in security audits, penetration testing, and credential validation software.