What does the system say
about passwords
Passwd help file Version 1.1 of 06/25/98
The object when choosing a password is to make it as difficult as possible
for a cracker to make educated guesses about what you've chosen.
A password will NOT be accepted if it:
* Is less than 6 characters long.
* Matches anything in your account information, such as your login name,
office phone number, etc.
* Has more than 3 repeated characters -- thus "aaa" would
be rejected.
* Matches or resembles any word found in various dictionaries.
Picking good passwords:
* It should contain at least one upper case letter (A-Z), digit (0-9),
or punctuation character (such as `.', `,' or `-').
* It should NOT be simply an English word or a name -- crackers have
online dictionaries, and names relevant to you can be obtained from
publically-available records.
* The password should NOT be only lower-case or upper-case letters;
it should NOT be only digits.
* The password should be MORE THAN 6 characters long.
* It should be easy to remember, so you don't have to write it down.
* You should be able to type the password quickly, without having to
look at the keyboard. This makes it harder for someone to steal
your password by watching over your shoulder.
Ways to come up with a hard to guess (but easy to remember) password:
* Misspell a word.
* Take two short words, capitalize one or more letters and put them
together with punctuation marks or numbers in between.
* Choose a line or two from a song or poem and use the first letter
of each word.
* Create words which mimic easily remembered sounds. Password security:
1) You will have to change your password every four months. (That way,
if someone has guessed your password, they'll lose the ability to use
your account.)
2) NEVER TELL *ANYONE* ELSE YOUR PASSWORD. Don't tell anyone who asks
for it -- NO ONE ELSE has a legitimate reason to know it. Don't share
your account with other people -- if you share your account, then you'll
never know how far the password has spread, and YOU'LL be responsible
for whatever is done with your account.)
3) Don't write your password down. In particular, don't write it down
on
anything in your work area, and especially not online in a file. (Keeping
it in your wallet is acceptable, but don't show it to others.)
