WD2GO insists that a password has to contain “at least two” of case changes and numbers…
That insistence is SUCH an antiquated approach to ‘encouraging’ password strength.
As soon as you start making people not able to use reasonable passwords they already remember, then they must write the new one down, somewhat defeating the better security you were hoping to encourage.
And for others, requiring only a simple file-sharing system amongst family and friends, they just don’t want a complex password, even after being warned - because it is contrary to their intentions.
It would be far better to simply ‘rate’ the password, so it might be ‘weak’ if under 4-char, ‘moderate’ if 4-7 char, and ‘strong’ if longer than 7-char (or 5-char if mix of digits and alpha, or mix of cases)… But just show next to the proposed password how weak it might be… and let the user (administrator setting up) DECIDE FOR THEMSELVES what to use.
Besides, longer phrases, or first-letters (acronyms) of phrases are shown to be very safe, but are rejected by WD2GO, no matter how long that password is. It is a crazy situation.
I have a single password for multiple wifi routers in a home network, and wanted to use the same password for a low-security home file-sharing on a WD Live disk, but was prevented from appoving my existing at-home network password, because some password nazi at WD had other ideas which he/she is insisting on forcing upon the rest of us.
See http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/oct/05/online-security-passwords-tricks-hacking
And to make matters worse, I just tried to log-in to WD Community many times, using known correct password, and it was so frustrating, I just chose to do a password reset, and then when I did log-in with the new reset password, the screen then explained that passwords were invalidated if you had not connected for a while… what a shambles, telling people after the challenge, that that test was unwinable…
Someone above the programmers needs to be looking at everything produced, and the customer feedback and saying “Is there any way any element of this could be made simpler/neater/easier?” Call that person WD’s ‘Steve Jobs’ - he doesn’t have to be brilliant at all - just someone has to do that challenging, otherwise what you get is the ‘password nazi’ getting their personal views imposed on the wider user world, with very adverse user experiences as a result.
Graeme Harrison, prof at-symbol post.harvard.edu
35-years IT experience esp with user interface…
WD: Great hardware - with software that is always innovative, but never polished… with very slow fixes…
