Why Password Complexity Is Outdated

orio1985
Dec 14, 2025
5 min read

Updated: Feb 6

For years, businesses were told the same thing about password security:

Use at least 12 characters. Mix uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols.
Change passwords every 90 days.
If your password looks like a keyboard smash, you are “secure.”

That advice is outdated. Worse, it is actively making organizations less safe!

This realization clicked for me a while back. I was already pushing my users to start using phrases instead of fuzzy words. With a password manager, they could control all the other passwords they use daily. After watching Rob Braxman explain it, I found clarity. The problem is not the complexity or length of the passwords in use. The issue is that password complexity alone does not stop modern attacks.

The Real-World Problem With Complex Passwords

In practice, strict password complexity policies cause predictable behavior:

Passwords written on sticky notes.
Reused passwords with slight variations.
Predictable updates like Summer2025! or Companynameyear!.
Employees locking themselves out and bypassing controls.

Attackers understand this behavior very well. They are not guessing passwords one character at a time, like it is 1998. Modern attacks rely on stolen credential databases, credential stuffing, phishing emails, and automation.

If your password looks like this -> P@ssw0rd!2025, it appears complex, but it is not secure. If your password is similar to the examples here, there is a high confidence that it exists in breach dictionaries. These dictionaries are what hackers use to automate their attacks. You can check it out yourself at 👉 Have I Been Breached. Once you're on the website, enter your most-used email and see what comes up.

Why Password Complexity Does Not Stop Phishing

This is the uncomfortable truth. A perfect password does not protect if it is willingly entered into a fake login page. Most breaches start the same way:

An email looks urgent.
A login page looks legitimate.
Someone is busy or distracted.
They type the password themselves.

No brute force needed, no advanced hacking techniques, just social engineering at its best. This is why relying on password complexity alone is a hack. It solves the wrong problem. Or as some may argue, it solves nothing at all.

Length Beats Complexity Every Time

There is a better approach, and it is easier for humans: Long passphrases. Four or five unrelated words are significantly harder to crack and far easier to remember than short, complex strings.

Example:

Planet canoe drift salad

If a system requires it, add a number or symbol:

Planet1canoedriftsalad

An xkcd comic popularized this approach, but it is backed by real math. Length increases entropy. Random words defeat guessing. Memory improves. When passwords are easier to remember, people stop writing them down.

Folks ask me how I apply this technique. I can tell you about a password I had in the past. What made my world simpler but more complicated to guess was that I picked a topic I was passionate about, like a hobby or an event I never missed. I then chose three things about that event or hobby. My password was Chevy-Mustang-198721lbBoost! Although the password is in plain English, it would be nearly impossible to guess my pattern or sources of information. For me, I'll never forget that password. I can easily change it or move my special character around to satisfy any company security policies and/or insurance agencies requiring regular password resets. One thing I never did was reuse it everywhere. We will discuss that issue further in this blog.

Why Password Managers Matter More Than Rules

Here is the reality for modern organizations. Humans should not have to memorize dozens of passwords. Password reuse is an easy point of entry once a credential is exposed or compromised.

We have to think like a hacker for a moment. If I got my hands on a key that opens a door, what other doors can I open? Password reuse makes a credential stuffing attack possible. Access to one portal can grant you access to many more.

Password managers exist for a reason. They allow:

Unique passwords for every system.
Extremely long passwords no one needs to remember.
Secure credential sharing without email or chat.
Visibility and audit trails for compliance and insurance.

When paired with good policy, password managers remove human failure from the equation. You remember and manage one strong password and let the password manager remember the rest. This eliminates the need to reuse or rethink your password, simplifying your world across everything IT you log on to, both professionally and personally.

Yep, I know you hate having to recall or retype a password or even that annoying password companion called MFA. Here is a stat that should stick: more than 80% of attacks and password leaks are stopped by proper MFA practices. This is why most reputable organizations require some form of MFA, such as a code sent via email or SMS. Although these MFA techniques are the weakest, it's better to have a form of MFA than no MFA.

The One Control That Actually Stops Attacks

If there is one takeaway from this article, it is this: Passwords alone are no longer enough.

Multi-factor authentication stops over 80 percent of credential-based attacks, even when passwords are stolen. That means:

Phished password? Attack fails.
Reused password? Attack fails.
Leaked database? Attack fails.

Password complexity does not do that. MFA does.

What a Modern Password Policy Looks Like

A sane, modern password policy focuses on effectiveness, not punishment:

Long passwords instead of complex ones.
No forced password changes unless compromised.
Password managers encouraged or required.
Multi-factor authentication is enforced everywhere possible.
User training that explains why controls exist.

This approach is easier for users and significantly stronger for security.

Compliance Cares About Proof, Not Superstition

From a compliance and insurance standpoint, this matters. Auditors, insurers, and regulators do not care how strict your password rules sound. They care that:

Access is controlled.
Credentials are protected.
Breaches are mitigated.
Controls are documented.

Strong authentication, training, and logs outperform any password policy written in all caps.

A Calm Way to Check Your Real Exposure

Most organizations believe they are secure because policies exist on paper. The real question is whether those controls would actually hold up during an incident, audit, or insurance review.

To help answer that, we built a short IT risk quiz that looks at how security works in practice, not theory. The quiz checks things like:

How authentication is actually enforced.
Whether MFA is consistently applied.
How user access is managed.
Where blind spots may exist.
And more.

It takes about three minutes and provides a clear snapshot of risk compared to similar organizations. No sales pitch. No pressure. Just clarity.

👉 Take the IT Risk Quiz

The Future of Password Security

As we move forward, it’s crucial to adapt to the evolving landscape of cybersecurity. The future of password security lies in embracing new technologies and practices. Organizations must prioritize user education and awareness.

Emphasizing User Training

Training is essential. Users need to understand the risks associated with weak passwords and phishing attacks. Regular workshops can help reinforce good practices.

Implementing Advanced Security Measures

Beyond password managers and MFA, consider implementing biometric authentication. Fingerprint and facial recognition technologies are becoming more reliable and user-friendly.

Continuous Monitoring and Improvement

Finally, organizations should continuously monitor their security practices. Regular audits and updates to security policies ensure that they remain effective against new threats.

Final Thought

Password complexity made sense once. It does not anymore. Security is not about punishing users. It is about designing systems that assume humans are human.

So let's all use:

Long passwords.
Password managers.
Multi-factor authentication.

That is how real risk is reduced. In IT, ignorance is negligence. Outdated advice is just as dangerous.