In 2025, security researchers agree that the old 'complex but short' password rule no longer holds up. Modern cracking tools can brute-force an 8-character password in seconds. The real protection comes from length — each additional character exponentially increases difficulty. Aim for at least 16 characters, even if your password looks simple. A long phrase like 'sleepycatplayspiano' is far stronger than 'C@t123!'.