Password Guidelines
- Make your password as long as possible.
- Use numbers, uppercase letters, lowercase letters, and symbols in your password.
- Don’t use dictionary words or names.
- Change your password frequently. Change your password as often as possible to prevent abuse of a password that someone might have obtained illegitimately. If you suspect that your password has been compromised, change it immediately.
- Keep it confidential. Don’t write down your password or tell it to anyone. Also, don’t let Windows® remember your passwords.
Password examples
Good
- mh@LLwfaw@s (“Mary has a little lamb, with fleece as white as snow.”) – This password uses both lower and uppercase letters; it also replaces the letter “a” with “@” in two places.
- RtRnRd3#r (“Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.”) – This password includes upper and lowercase letters, a number and a special character.
- kwMPczNG! (The initials of the key injured players for a baseball team) – This password uses upper and lowercase letters and includes a special character.
Bad
- Bontrager (a last name) – Do not use your last name as your password. Any name, including that of your spouse or child, is a bad password.
- marshmallow – This password uses only lowercase letters and it is a word that can be found in the dictionary.
Note: These passwords are provided only as samples. Please don’t use any of these passwords, as someone else may try to use them to gain access to your accounts!
