You are (probably) validating passwords wrong

Traditional password validation rules (uppercase, lowercase, digit, special character) create a false sense of security because they allow predictable patterns like 'Admin1234!'. A better approach is using the zxcvbn password strength estimator, which analyzes patterns, common words, and dates rather than just character types. Additionally, checking passwords against the HaveIBeenPwned API helps exclude credentials exposed in known data breaches. These two methods together provide much stronger protection against account takeover attacks.