Passwords are a perennial problem in computer security. We all know that we're supposed to pick "secure" passwords and never reuse them, but few of us actually bother. One consequence this can cause is losing access to our accounts; some bad guy figures out the password to our World of Warcraft, Steam, or e-mail account, and then proceeds to trash it. To try to ensure that Hotmail accounts don't fall prey to such attacks, Microsoft will soon be changing its password policy to forbid the use of particularly common passwords.

This means that anyone creating a new Hotmail account or changing the password of an existing account won't be able to use obvious and common passwords like "123456" or "password." The system will also block common phrases, like "ilovecats." In the future, Microsoft may also extend this ban on obvious passwords to existing accounts at a later date.

This is a wise move. As data from the Gawker password hack, the HBGary Federal hack, the Booz Allen Hamilton hack, and many others have shown, obvious passwords are abundant. People consistently choose poorly. Blocking the use of these obvious passwords might be a little annoying for those who want to use them, but it's a move that's in everyone's best interest.

And if an account does get compromised? There's a new feature to handle that situation too. If a friend on Hotmail sends you spam or fraudulent mail, you can now report that their account is hacked. The feature, called "My friend's been hacked!," will block their account so the spammer can no longer use it, and next time your friend tries to log in, they'll have to go through the account recovery process.

Now, if only every service that used passwords could do this....