CLA-OIT Password Guide
The following guidelines will assist you in creating a complex password to protect your computer accounts. The list represents a combination of the rules from most university and CLA systems and should allow you to create one strong password that will work for you e-mail account, your computer login account, and your server account.
- Passwords must be eight or more characters long.
- Passwords must contain upper case letters, lower case letters, and punctuation/special characters (,.!?@#$%^&*-+_[]\|;:’”<>/). Adding numbers is also a good idea, but not required.
- You password should not contain all or any 3 character part of your account/user name.
- A good password should not be guessable by others, but at the same time it should be easy to remember. For example, use a short phrase or sentence. A line from a poem, song, or movie might be a good idea—the more obscure the better. Punctuation and spaces help make the password more complex and difficult to break.
- Do NOT use:
- Simple words that are easy to guess, such as common or famous names of people or places.
- Single common words from English, foreign language or technical dictionaries (although multiple words as part of a longer phrase are OK).
- Words that can be easily associated with you (e.g. birth date, your name, spouse or child's name, pet's name, street, etc.)
- Keyboard patterns (e.g., qwerty) or duplicate characters (e.g., aabbccdd).
- Passwords must be changed every 365 days, at minimum.
- Passwords should not be shared.
- If you need to record your passwords do so in a secure location (e.g., in a locked file). Write down hints, not the password itself. Do not leave notes about your password on or in your desk or attached to your computer.
These guidelines for strong passwords are based in part on the University’s Tips for Choosing a Password.
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