Password

StJohn

Hi Martin, Why a minimum of 12 characters in the MSE password?

No other site asks for this, and it is frustrating when a website sets its own rules which differ to other sites. Your '12 character' rule can't be for security, as you do not insist on numbers or special characters, so it seems a bit pointless. Also, I don't see the need for this to be as secure as, say, my banking app. It makes little apparent sense.

MSE_Stephen

Hi @StJohn

Our forum provider now defaults to 12 character passwords.

This does, in fact, line up with the changing advice on password security over the past few years which recommends password length being more important than previous advice focussing only on complexity. You'll probably find sites you use increasingly focus on asking you to create long passwords and less on enforcing special characters.

If you're interested, this post by the National Cyber Security Centre may be helpful.