[chebucto]

This problem has been noted for some time. Past articles on the subject have shown how the various requirements for passwords come about through a combination of limitations imposed by the system they're being used on, or through misguided attempts at making things easier for users.

I wonder if there has ever been an attempt through a forum like RFCs or ISO to define a worldwide (or at least latin char set) standard for password requirements. Based on what i've seen in forums like this, there seems to be fairly broad acceptance that allowing a large number of characters from a character set with as few limitations as possible bests serves the interest of security. The thorniest issue would likely be about balancing requirements for increased complexity (eg capitals and lowercase, numbers, etc) with ease of use.