Security - Do you have a strict password security policy?
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The standard is to enforce policies based on reputable regulatory organizations (e.g. NIST, ACSC) latest recommendations.
✅ Figure: Good example - Active Directory settings based on latest security recommendations
When passwords have to be changed they should meet the following complexity requirements:
- Ignore password complexity (numbers, special characters, spaces) but require longer passwords - E.g. Require 16 characters length minimum, without special characters or numbers
- Longer passphrases are better than passwords - They are even more difficult to crack than complex passwords
- Longer password history remembered - E.g. Cannot use the last 10 passwords you already used
- Blocking of common password and words – E.g. Via Azure AD Password Protection
- Use a password manager
- Use different passwords for every service
- Enforce a lockout policy - E.g. If a user gets their password wrong 5 times, their account will be locked out for 15 minutes
Important: Requiring users to change their passwords (e.g. every 180 days) does not improve security. If you already have a strong password (as above) and a second factor of authentication (e.g. MFA), changing it does very little to make you more secure. Generally, you should change your password only when you believe it has been compromised.