As Internet usage increases, choosing a good password becomes more of a necessity. We have put together a set of Password Protection Guidelines to follow. Though no password is 100% "hack-proof", following these guidelines can reduce the risk of "password break-in".
A sample set of guidelines for password selection
is shown below:
DON'T use your
login name in any form (as-is, reversed, capitalized, doubled,
etc.).
DON'T use your
first, middle, or last name in any form.
DON'T use your
spouse's or child's name.
DON'T use other
information easily obtained about you.This includes license
plate numbers, telephone numbers, social security numbers,
the make of your automobile, the name of the street you live
on, etc..
DON'T use a password
of all digits, or all the same letter.
DON'T use a word
contained in English or foreign language dictionaries, spelling
lists, or other lists of words.
DON'T use a password
shorter than six characters.
DO use a password
with mixed-case alphabetics.
DO use a password
with non-alphabetic characters (digits or punctuation).
DO use a password
that is easy to remember, so you don't have to write it down.
DO use a password
that you can type quickly, without having to look at the keyboard.
Methods of selecting a password which adheres
to these guidelines include:
Choose a line or two from a song or poem, and
use the first letter of each word.
Alternate between one consonant and one or two
vowels, up to seven or eight characters. This provides nonsense
words which are usually pronounceable, and thus easily remembered.
Choose two short words and concatenate them
together with a punctuation character between them.
Users should also change their password periodically.
If you need to change your password then call the office at
937-866-1460 during regular office hours.