UpDate - Vol. 14, No. 31, Page 8
May 11, 1995
TechTalk
Password: For your eyes only

     On the University's central computing systems, your password
should be 6-8 characters long.
     When selecting a new password, select something that is easy for
you to remember, but not easy for others to guess. Do not select a
name, word, birth date or foreign word as your password. If you want
to use a telephone number, do not use part of your current telephone
number. Instead, try part of a former number.
     Use the entire range of characters available when you select a
new password. MVS users should use a combination of letters and
numbers in their passwords. UNIX system (strauss, chopin and brahms)
users should use a combination of upper- and lower-case letters,
numbers and punctuation marks in their passwords. Try spelling a word
on your telephone.
     For example, the word "test" would become 8378.
     Your voice mail PIN (Personal Identification Number) must be at
least four digits. Below are several examples of passwords that are
not as secure as they can be. With the suggested revisions, these
examples are much more secure. BE SURE YOU DON'T USE ANY OF THESE
EXAMPLES FOR YOUR PASSWORD BECAUSE THEY ARE NOW PUBLISHED.


Less Secure    More Secure
sugar          c6-h1206    Try the chemical formula instead of the
                              word.
avanti         Ava?nt1!    Try adding an upper-case letter and
                              somepunctuation to a word or foreign
                              word.
72753          r7-27g?     Try adding someone's initials and some
                              punctuation to a birth date.
susie1         -SusiE,1    Try adding more "extras" to a word or name
                              than just a digit or letter at the end
                              of the word.
boxcar9        1box9car    Try putting numbers in the middle of
                              compund words on systems that allow only
                              letters and numbers (e.g. MVS).