(EDITOR’S NOTE: October is National Cyber Security Awareness as Month. The following is the second in a series of stories from UNMC Information Technology Services that highlight aspects of cyber security.)
Using strong passwords is important because they are the entry point to UNMC’s IT resources. Misused or stolen passwords can give intruders access to not only these resources, but also to employees’ personal information.
When creating a password, ensure that the password is “strong” by meeting the following criteria:
1. Passwords should have at least seven characters, with at least one alphabetic and one numeric character. (Lotus Notes requires eight characters)
2. Passwords should contain at least one lower case and one upper case alphabetic character.
3. Weak passwords should NEVER be used because they can easily be guessed. The following are examples of weak passwords and should not be used:
- Words in a dictionary;
- Derivatives of user ids;
- Common character sequences such as 123456;
- Personal details such as spouse’s name, license plate, social security number or birthday unless accompanied by additional unrelated characters; and
- Any part of speech including proper names, geographical locations, common acronyms and slang.
It is recommended to use a “pass phrase” rather than a “password.” An example of a pass phrase would be “Nolv4me”. Click here to test the strength of your password.