Saturday November 7th, 2009
Choosing a Good Password
Summary: Choosing a password can be a daunting task. You must choose one that no one can guess but you can remember! Below are some guidelines to help you.
Password Guidelines
Selecting a good password
- Pick a password that has at least 7 characters.
Generally speaking, the longer your password is, the more secure it is. - Our system requires that your password contains at least one alphabetical character [a-z/A-Z].
- Passwords are case-sensitive and can have both upper and lower case letters.
Using MiXeD case in your password increases its security. - Our system also requires that your password contain at least one non-alphabetical character, which is not the first or last character of the password.
- Including numbers and punctuation increases the strength of your password.
- A good way to create a password is to think of a phrase and then use the first character of each word in the phrase, adding in punctuation and numbers.
Things to avoid
- Do not use your current password or any of your previous passwords.
If someone previously obtained your password, they might try to use it again. - Do not use the space character in your password.
This is not allowed due to a current application limitation. - Do not use non printable characters such as those created by using the CTRL or ALT key on your keyboard.
- Do not use alphabetic or keyboard sequential characters such as "abcde" or "qwerty".
- Do not use the same character more than twice.
For example, we do not allow passwords that contain "aaa" or "jjj". - Do not use any part of your Employee, Student, or Sponsored ID numbers.
- Avoid using any part of your date of birth in your password.
- Do not use your UCInetID, forward or reverse.
- Do not use any part of your name, forward or reverse.
Password Reminders
- Remember to keep your password a secret. Do not share it with anyone!
It is your only protection from someone using your UCInetID and your are responsible for anything done with your account. - You should also change your password at least once per year.
- If you forget your password, you may re-activate your UCInetID if you know your password reset question.
If you do not, you will need to visit the NACS help desk at 2130 Engineering Gateway and show them a photo ID to have your UCInetID enabled for re-activation. - If you need help, contact the NACS Help Desk by telephone at (949) 824-2222 or send email to nacs@uci.edu.
