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Office of Information Technology (OIT) > Internet Accounts and Passwords > Passwords > Internet Passwords

Internet Passwords

Your Internet ID and password act as a key to many online tools and services offered by the University. When you log in, your Internet ID identifies you, and your password authenticates you as the owner of that ID. Internet passwords:

• Must be at least 8 characters long
• Expire once a year
• Are used for self-service applications and common online services such as email, wireless Internet, course registration, and pay statements

Choose a Strong Password

It is important to choose a strong password since there are many password-cracking programs readily available on the Internet. Here are some tips for selecting a strong password:

Do

• Include numbers and non-alphanumeric characters: [ ] { } | \ ; : ' " < > ? / ~ ` ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) _ - + =
• Use uppercase on more than the first letter (passwords are case sensitive)
• Employ strategies for an easily remembered complex password. For example, use the first letter from each word in a phrase: C$200wpG represents "Collect $200 when passing Go.”

Don't

• Select a new password by simply changing one character in your existing password.
• Use the same password on important and trivial systems (e.g., production and test systems).
• Use words and numbers that can be easily associated with you, such as your birth date, name, spouse/child/pet name, or address.

Safeguard Your Password

It is extremely important that you do not share your password with anyone, as this would grant another person acceshahas to everything normally restricted to you, including private information such as grades and pay statements. Choose a good password that is both easy for you to remember and difficult for others to guess. Additionally, keep the following in mind:

• Never send a password by e-mail.
• Avoid writing down your password at all — write down hints, but not the password itself.
• If you need to write it down, keep it in a secure location (e.g., in your wallet or in a locked file) — never leave it on or in your desk.
• Do not disclose your password to others, including system administrators. If you do share your password for some reason, make sure you change it immediately.
• Never store a password in an electronic file or use the "save my password" feature.
• When leaving a public computer (kiosk or public lab), completely log out and quit the application before you leave.
• When leaving your computer, even for a short amount of time, completely log off or otherwise secure your computer from unauthorized use.
• Be aware of phishing. Hackers try to trick people into giving away their passwords and other personal information by sending fake e-mails that appear to come from common Web site such as eBay, PayPal, or local banks.

Password Expiration

Internet passwords expire once they become one year old. If your password expires, the next time you attempt to log in to a secure Web site, you'll be required to change your password before proceeding. The system will automatically direct you to the password change screen. E-mail notices of upcoming password expiration (see a sample) are sent two weeks and then again one week before the password expires. We will NEVER require you to send your password via e-mail.

Limit Helpline-Assisted Password Changes

If you suspect that someone else has enough identifying information to call 1-HELP and reset your password, you may require that technical support staff identify you in person — not via telephone — before resetting your password. Think carefully when choosing this option. Until you remove the limitation, technical support staff can reset your password only in person, on campus, at one of our Tech Stop locations.

Reset Your Password

Students can use the Self-Service Passwords Reset option on the Internet Account Options page to reset their passwords.

There is no self-service reset option available to faculty and staff. Contact Technology Help to reset passwords.

Change Your Password

Visit the Internet Account Options page to change your password.