If with server password protection you would like to control who can connect to your server, one alternative is to white list players, by only allowing certain players to connect based on a text file with valid player names. The morecommands mod has whitelist functionality:
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=15452https://github.com/bigfoot547/morecommandsBut this does mean that instead of sharing a server password, you will need to add users to the whitelist based on users requesting access. A whitelist does give better control IMO since server passwords can be shared and fall into the wrong hands.