iCloud.com forcing password change even though current password is Strong

When I tried to access iCloud.com from my MacBook Pro, after successfully completing the 2-factor authentication, the website tried to force me to "choose a stronger password", even though my current password definitely meets the strong password criteria already. The only screen choices are to change password or "Cancel".  Hitting Cancel throws you back to login, which repeats the loop.  There is no option to decline to change your password.  I have never had a problem with my Apple ID password before.  I don't want to change it.  It meets the strength criteria, so why is this happening? I seldom log in to the iCloud.com website; It has probably been over a year since the last time I did so.  I was logging in from my home wifi network, on my personal MacBook (15-inch, mid-2012, running Mojave 10.14.6) which is the computer I always use.  For now, I've just abandoned logging in to the iCloud.com website rather than change my password. I'm not tech-savvy and I fear losing functionality on other apps/devices at a very inconvenient time, because I've read about this happening to other people when they changed their Apple ID password. Seems it can cause a big hassle if you don't know how to update everything you're supposed to-- which I don't! It is interesting that my current Apple ID password worked just fine to log in to Apple Communities. Has anybody out there experienced this problem with the iCloud.com website trying to force you to change a perfectly strong password that meets the stated criteria? Were you able to get around this and keep your current password? Or did you have to change it in order to access iCloud.com?