🔐 We Need Better Password Guidance, Not Just Password Rules
Almost every website tells us how to create a password:
✅ Minimum length requirements
✅ Uppercase letters
✅ Lowercase letters
✅ Numbers
✅ Special characters
But very few tell us what NOT to use.
Many users create passwords that technically satisfy all these requirements but still include predictable information such as:
❌ Name
❌ Date of Birth
❌ Birth Year
❌ Mobile Number
❌ Address
❌ Pet Names
❌ Family Names
❌ Favorite Things
From a cybersecurity perspective, these passwords can become easier to crack, guess, or predict when an attacker performs reconnaissance and gathers publicly available information about a target.
A password may look "strong" to a website's validation system while remaining highly predictable to an attacker.
The reality is that most password policies only verify whether certain character requirements are met. They cannot reliably determine whether a user has included personal information in the password.
That is why organizations should consider adding a simple advisory during account creation:
⚠️ Avoid using personal information such as your name, date of birth, phone number, address, family names, or other publicly known details in your password.
Organizations may not be able to technically validate all of this information, but providing this guidance can help users make better security decisions.
This is a small step, but in a world where cyber threats continue to evolve, small awareness measures can have a significant impact on digital safety.
🔐 Security is not only about creating complex passwords.
🔐 Security is about creating unpredictable passwords and passphrases.
Should organizations do more than just enforce password complexity rules?
What additional guidance would you like to see on password creation pages?
What do you think should be added to password creation pages that most websites overlook today?
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