Email from Telus: Update your password to improve your security

[tbor]

Howdy!
I received an email from Telus lately, containing the following;

Your password no longer meets our security guidelines.

In our continued effort to make your experience with TELUS safe and secure, we are asking you to reset your password before you can access your account.

To reset your password, go to Forgot your password and click on "Send my password reset email".

As a TELUS customer, you get exclusive access to EverSafe™ security features designed to help safeguard your privacy and personal information. We will update you as we continue to launch these new features. Learn more about TELUS EverSafe

Thanks,
The TELUS Team

Is this email legitimate? If so, can you tell me why a password in a roughly similar format of XXXXXX#xxxxxx!0000 isn't "good enough" for Telus? Like, seriously? I'm still able to access MyTelus and Telus Connect apps on iOS fine, so I'm a bit confused.

Thanks for your help, have a wonderful day!

[A-B]

Hey! That does sound odd, and that your password should meet the criteria to be deemed safe. Have you had the chance to reach out to our team at 1-888-811-2323 and have them take a look at your profile?

[GrahamTranter]

See above reply. if the string portion contains a "common" word such as "Telus", it fails to meet the strength criteria. 

[Nighthawk]

@A-B I wonder if the new system is just flagging passwords that haven't been changed recently? 

[A-B]

Yes it very well may be.

[GrahamTranter · Accepted solution]

It's a mickey mouse security problem. I had the same thing - strong password string. I guessed at what their problem was. My password contained the "common" word "Telus". I changed it and actually made a weaker password and it is working fine again.    As someone who has a different password for everything I do, and a need to remember them as opposed to writing them down, this was just annoying. 

[HSL]

I received the same eMail this morning. As I did not use the word "telus" in my password I would guess their security risk assessment is based on a number of factors.

My browser generated a new password for me which was accepted.

[GrahamTranter]

Quite possibly. It just indicated "Telus" as a common word (I typed in my old password to see where it got upset), but I am sure there are a ton of other common words it might not like.  

[tbor]

I'm not sure if it's a mickey mouse problem or not, as I just replaced the letter sections with EXTREMELY common words and it accepted it.

"security"

c'est la vie.

Thanks everyone for your input. 🙂

[GrahamTranter]

That is just too funny.....

[tbor]

It doesn't surpise me. More often than not people in the position of deciding things like this aren't exactly in touch with reality. Or logic. It is what it is 🙂