How-To Choose a Password

OIT Standard (IT-STD-009) (requires username & password)

Your password is the key to securing your data. Choosing a secure password is best way to ensure the security of your account. A variety of password hacking programs exist, allowing hackers to access personal data, damage machines, or compromise entire systems or networks.  A good password should be nearly impossible for someone to guess.  Your new password should have a minimum length of 15 characters and should include the following:

1. At least one upper-case letter
2. At least one lower-case letter
3. At least one number

Passwords can include special characters (@#$$%^&). For example: 

Plato&Rats31265 (Please do not use this password).

Passwords can also be concatenated.  For example, if your current password is Summer08, your new password can be:

 Summer08Summer08 (Please do not use this password).

Here are some suggestions to help you create the most secure password based on recommendations from The National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA).
Do NOT use:

1. your login user name in any form
2. your name or your family members' names
3.  information easily obtained about you, such as license plate numbers, telephone numbers, office number, birthdays, etc.
4. a password of all digits, or all the same letter
5. a word contained in English or foreign language dictionaries, spelling lists, or other lists of  obvious words such as “password”, “abc12345”, etc.  
6. a password shorter than fifteen characters
7. alphabetic characters replaced with non-alphabetic characters that are look-a-likes: '0' for 'o' or '1' for 'l'
8. any previous password that you have already used within the last 5 password changes

Do use:

1. Combination of lower/uppercase alphabetic characters with numeric characters; e.g., PlatoRats182342 (Please do not use this password).
2. Alphabetic characters replaced with non-alphabetic at least one non-alphabetic character (digits or punctuation--restricted to the characters found on the top row of the keyboard; namely, `~!@#$%^&*()_+-=), which should be imbedded in the password; e.g. Plato&Rats31265 (Please do not use this password).
3. a password that is easy to remember, so that you don't have to write it down and that you can type quickly, without having to look at the keyboard

Methods for selecting a password that adheres to these guidelines include:

1. Choose a line from a song or poem, using the first letter of each word with the addition of a year; e.g., OuamdWIpwaw1970 (Please do not use this password) -  "Once upon a midnight dreary/While I pondered weak and weary"
2. alternate between one consonant and one or two vowels, for at least eight characters, creating nonsense words that are usually pronounceable and easily remembered; e.g., corinawot -- "co rin a wot"
3. Choose two words and join them with one or two punctuation or numeric characters between them; e.g., Uranium8@Mercury (Please do not use this password).

Invent an acronym; e.g., TitftIutc4rIcntd (Please do not use this password) -- "This is the first time I'm using the computer for(4) reasons I care not to discuss"

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Last Updated: August 17, 2009