diff --git a/lib/utils.js b/lib/utils.js
index 7e1d566819..fc7271d019 100644
--- a/lib/utils.js
+++ b/lib/utils.js
@@ -8,8 +8,6 @@
 /**
  * Module dependencies.
  */
-
-const {nanoid} = require('nanoid/non-secure');
 var path = require('path');
 var util = require('util');
 var he = require('he');
@@ -615,11 +613,22 @@ exports.constants = exports.defineConstants({
   MOCHA_ID_PROP_NAME
 });
 
+const uniqueIDBase =
+  'abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0123456789-_';
+
 /**
  * Creates a new unique identifier
+ * Does not create cryptographically safe ids.
+ * Trivial copy of nanoid/non-secure
  * @returns {string} Unique identifier
  */
-exports.uniqueID = () => nanoid();
+exports.uniqueID = () => {
+  let id = '';
+  for (let i = 0; i < 21; i++) {
+    id += uniqueIDBase[(Math.random() * 64) | 0];
+  }
+  return id;
+};
 
 exports.assignNewMochaID = obj => {
   const id = exports.uniqueID();
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 8f1ed39671..542c4097aa 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@
         "log-symbols": "4.1.0",
         "minimatch": "5.0.1",
         "ms": "2.1.3",
-        "nanoid": "3.3.3",
         "serialize-javascript": "6.0.0",
         "strip-json-comments": "3.1.1",
         "supports-color": "8.1.1",
@@ -14069,17 +14068,6 @@
       "integrity": "sha512-2ZTgtl0nJsO0KQCjEpxcIr5D+Yv90plTitZt9JBfQvVJDS5seMl3FOvsh3+9CoYWXf/1l5OaZzzF6nDm4cagaQ==",
       "dev": true
     },
-    "node_modules/nanoid": {
-      "version": "3.3.3",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/nanoid/-/nanoid-3.3.3.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-p1sjXuopFs0xg+fPASzQ28agW1oHD7xDsd9Xkf3T15H3c/cifrFHVwrh74PdoklAPi+i7MdRsE47vm2r6JoB+w==",
-      "bin": {
-        "nanoid": "bin/nanoid.cjs"
-      },
-      "engines": {
-        "node": "^10 || ^12 || ^13.7 || ^14 || >=15.0.1"
-      }
-    },
     "node_modules/natural-compare": {
       "version": "1.4.0",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/natural-compare/-/natural-compare-1.4.0.tgz",
@@ -33952,11 +33940,6 @@
       "integrity": "sha512-2ZTgtl0nJsO0KQCjEpxcIr5D+Yv90plTitZt9JBfQvVJDS5seMl3FOvsh3+9CoYWXf/1l5OaZzzF6nDm4cagaQ==",
       "dev": true
     },
-    "nanoid": {
-      "version": "3.3.3",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/nanoid/-/nanoid-3.3.3.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-p1sjXuopFs0xg+fPASzQ28agW1oHD7xDsd9Xkf3T15H3c/cifrFHVwrh74PdoklAPi+i7MdRsE47vm2r6JoB+w=="
-    },
     "natural-compare": {
       "version": "1.4.0",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/natural-compare/-/natural-compare-1.4.0.tgz",
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 14c013a9db..8925811032 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -63,7 +63,6 @@
     "log-symbols": "4.1.0",
     "minimatch": "5.0.1",
     "ms": "2.1.3",
-    "nanoid": "3.3.3",
     "serialize-javascript": "6.0.0",
     "strip-json-comments": "3.1.1",
     "supports-color": "8.1.1",
diff --git a/test/unit/utils.spec.js b/test/unit/utils.spec.js
index adb36c4cd6..46f27b57ad 100644
--- a/test/unit/utils.spec.js
+++ b/test/unit/utils.spec.js
@@ -760,5 +760,8 @@ describe('lib/utils', function () {
     it('should return a non-empty string', function () {
       expect(utils.uniqueID(), 'to be a string').and('not to be empty');
     });
+    it('should have length of 21', function () {
+      expect(utils.uniqueID().length, 'to equal', 21);
+    });
   });
 });