I agree that it's ridiculous, but on this:<p>"Even though the password policy does suggest that your password should be at least 8 characters long, other rules such as inability to special characters make the password weak not strong."<p>...I think it's the 12 character limit that makes it weak, rather than the inability to use special characters. Adding more characters gives more possibilities than extending the range of each character. Length and randomness make a strong password.