Password Hygiene
Passwords are the first line of defense against break-ins to your computer, tablet, phone, and online accounts.
Poorly chosen passwords can open your information to criminals, so make your passwords strong. Here is how to do that.
Passwords Should...
- Contain upper case letters;
- Contain lowercase letters;
- Contain numbers;
- Contain special characters;
- Be frequently changed;
- Be unique to each website you login to;
- Be at least a minimum total of 15 characters;
- Be easy for you to remember but difficult for others to guess.
A good way to create a password is to use an acronym, also known as a Passphrase, which is easy for you to remember, such as:
- “Am I going to Hawaii August 14 again?”
Using the 1st letter of each word, this would be:
- “AIgtHA14a?”
Of course, this is an example. The password displayed here is no longer secure and should not be used.
Passwords Should NOT...
- Contain your name, maiden name, middle name, nicknames or any part of it;
- Contain your pet's name;
- Contain keyboard patterns such as qwerty, asdfghjkl or 12345678;
- Contain public information about yourself from Facebook or Twitter;
- Be something that someone who knows you can guess;
- Be shared;
- Be old passwords or easy passwords spelled backward;
- Be something that you have to write down somewhere; or
- Be too short - the longer it is makes it more difficult to be guessed.
Password Manager
A Password Manager is a software tool that will assist you to create, encrypt and store strong, unique passwords.
Lamar University has worked in conjunction with Logmein to provide a free password management tool, called LastPass, that can be used by Faculty, Staff and Students alike.