Passwords
To stay secure, your passwords should:
- Be at least eight characters long
- Include both upper and lower case characters (eg a-z, A-Z)
- Include digits and punctuation as well as letters (eg 0-9, !@#$%^&*()_+|~-=\ {}[]:";'<>?,./)
- Not be words in any language, slang, dialect, jargon, etc
- Not be based on personal information, names of family, etc
Tip: One way to create passwords that you can easily remember is to base them on a song title or phrase. For example the phrase "This May Be One Way To Remember" could be used to create the password "TmB1w2R!?”
What not to do
- Never disclose your password to ANYONE
- Never talk about a password in front of others
- Never share passwords
- Don't use the "Remember Password" feature of applications (e.g., Web browsers, E-mail reader, etc)
- Never write passwords down and leave them unsecured anywhere
- Never store passwords in a file on ANY computer system (including PDAs or similar devices) without encryption
If someone demands to know your password, refuse and refer them to the IT Services Helpdesk for advice.
Worried?
If you suspect that one of your accounts or passwords has been compromised then you must report this to your local IT support staff, or the central IT Helpdesk and change all your passwords.