One way to secure your user account at SMCC is to use a complex password. Complex passwords and passphrase are strong passwords. You should use different passwords for different accounts AND you should strive for complex passwords. If at anytime you believe that your password has been compromised, you should immediately change your password.
What are complex passwords and passphrases?
Complex passwords:
- Can NOT contain your username,
- The password contains 3 of the following;
- Uppercase characters ( A through Z ),
- Lowercase characters ( a through z ),
- Numbers ( 0 - 9 ) and or Special characters ( ~!@#$%^&*_-+=`|\(){}[]:;"'<>,.?/ ),
- and is a minimum of 8 characters or more. The more characters you have in your password make brute force attempts to crack your password more difficult.
Complex passphrases:
These are groups of 3-5 words that have meaning to you, that are completely unrelated to the system or application you are logging into, randomize capitulation, and transpose characters for letters (‘@’ for ‘a’, ‘3’ for ‘e’, ‘!’ for ‘I’ etc.). They are typically easier to remember than regular complex passwords and as secure. You should also use:
- Uppercase characters ( A through Z ),
- Lowercase characters ( a through z ),
- Numbers ( 0 - 9 ) and
- Special characters ( ~!@#$%^&*_-+=`|\(){}[]:;"'<>,.?/ )
How often does my password change?
You are required to change your password every 180 days. This is an automated process, and the timer starts another 180 day process as soon as you have modified your password. You can change your password any time you wish. See the related article.
Examples of complex passwords (please do not use these)
"Yellow Sails" = Y3LL0_$ails
"98 was for birds" = 98Waz4B1rd$
Examples of passphrases (please do not use these)
- “Four score and seven years ago.” = 4_Sc0re_&_7_Y3@rs_ag0
- “You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.” = U miz 1o0 % sh0ts u donT t8k