Question about Changing Passphrase In Bitcoin Core, the previous password is required in order to change to a newer password. Is this previous password used simply as a proof-of-ownership key (that doesn’t do anything but show proper access), or does it have any part in changing the password through a method of decryption or something along those lines?
It is not a superficial gate-keeping password. The password on your wallet is an encryption passphrase.
Related answer with more details: https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/a/89278/26873