IT Services Circle
Jun 25, 2026 · Information Security
The NIST Official Who Mandated Special Characters in Passwords Has Apologized
The article traces the 2003 NIST password guideline that forced mixed‑case, numbers and symbols, shows how billions followed the same predictable patterns, presents real‑world leak analysis and the famous xkcd comparison, and explains why the rule was revised in 2017 yet still lingers.
NISTinformation securitypassphrase
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