A user received an account compromise notice from an online retailer. Two weeks later, the user received another notice stating the new compromise used the credentials from the first compromise. Which of the following password best practices MOST likely would have prevented the second compromise?

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C. Password reuse Password reuse occurs when the same password is used for multiple online accounts. If a password is compromised on one site, an attacker can use those same credentials to access other accounts where the password was reused, which directly explains the second compromise.

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A. Password age Password age refers to how long a password is valid; while changing passwords regularly is good, it wouldn't prevent reuse if the user chose the same old password for a different site.

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B. Password complexity Password complexity dictates requirements like special characters or mixed cases; while it makes a password harder to guess, it doesn't prevent an attacker from using a *known* password elsewhere if it's reused.

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D. Password length Password length refers to the number of characters; longer passwords are more resistant to brute-force attacks but do not mitigate the risk of reuse once a password has been compromised.

A user received an account compromise notice from an online retailer. Two weeks later, the user received another notice stating the new compromise used the credentials from the first compromise. Which

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