#passwordsecurity

We hate to break it to you, but a 10–13‑character password is better than the old minimums, but by 2026 standards it's only borderline sufficient—not ideal—especially against modern offline cracking. NIST's 2026 guidance strongly favors longer passphrases (15+ characters) because length, not complexity, is now the dominant factor in resisting attacks.

What NIST's 2026 Guidelines Actually Say

NIST's updated password recommendations emphasize:

Minimum allowed length: 8 characters

Recommended length: 15+ characters, especially for sensitive or privileged accounts

No required complexity rules (uppercase, symbols, etc.)

Strong preference for long passphrases

Mandatory screening against known breached passwords

These updates reflect the reality that attackers now use extremely fast GPU‑based cracking rigs, making short passwords—no matter how "complex"—far easier to brute‑force.

Why 10–13 Characters Is Only "Okay"

Offline cracking is the real threat.

If an attacker obtains a hashed password database, they can attempt billions of guesses per second. So your 10–13‑character password sits in the "not terrible, but not strong" zone.

The Real 2026 Best Practice

NIST and security researchers now recommend:

✔ Use a passphrase of 15–20+ characters

Example: correct-horse-battery-staple or river-coffee-lantern-sky

These are:

Much harder to brute‑force

Easier to remember

Fully compliant with NIST’s 2026 guidance

✔ Add MFA (especially phishing‑resistant MFA)

NIST explicitly encourages passwordless or MFA‑based authentication.

So…Is 10–13 Characters "Sufficient"?

Here's the honest breakdown:

For low‑risk accounts: Probably acceptable, but not ideal.

For important accounts (email, banking, cloud storage): Not sufficient by 2026 standards.

For admin/privileged accounts: Insufficient—NIST recommends 15+ characters.

Our Recommendation for You

If you want to be future‑proof and aligned with 2026 best practices:

Switch to a 15–20+ character passphrase

Use a password manager

Enable MFA everywhere possible

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