Password required again for CLI cron

Running cron through CLI with no password (as we've been able to do all through the 4.2 series) now fails. Folks who had it set up for a while don't realize this until they notice their scheduled jobs haven't run. Running on the command line

php mycivisite/sites/all/modules/civicrm/bin/cli.php -u myuser -e Job -a execute

returns "ERROR: Invalid username and/or password"

Everything runs just fine when you add a password like in the old days. However, this is a real problem becuase:
1. it's not wonderful to put the password of a privileged user in cron
2. people with sites that have been working fine through 4.2 are suddenly having this break without realizing it--mailings just don't go out.