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Why it Matters

Weak passwords are one of the easiest ways for attackers to break into Magento admin accounts. If users are allowed to set short or simple passwords, attackers can guess them quickly using dictionary lists or automated brute-force tools.

Enforcing strong password rules — minimum length, mix of uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special characters — makes guessing far harder. This slows down brute-force attempts and protects accounts even if attackers already know the username or email. A strong password policy is the first line of defense before other layers like 2FA.

Verification Steps

# In Admin UI:
Stores → Configuration → Customers → Customer Configuration → Password Options

# Check settings for:
- Minimum password length (8+ recommended)
- Required character classes (upper, lower, digits, special)
- Password lifetime and reset policy

Remediation / Fix Guidance

1. Set minimum password length to at least 8, ideally 12 or more.
2. Require at least 3 of 4 character types: uppercase, lowercase, digits, special characters.
3. Enable password lifetime or reset period to force periodic changes if needed.
4. Communicate policy clearly to all admin users and enforce it consistently.

Examples

# Weak password accepted
admin123
welcome

# Strong password meets rules
Tr@de2025!#
SecuRe#Store99

References

• OWASP Top 10 — A07: Identification and Authentication Failures
• OWASP Authentication Cheat Sheet