Admin Passwords

Computer security has been a hot topic recently. Hackers have become very sophisticated, utilizing password hacking software that can quickly guess passwords. Administrative Information Services has updated its password policy for improved sercurity.

In an effort to improve the integrity of USD computing resources we have instituted an improved password policy on some of our computer systems. The affected systems are as follows:

• Oracle Applications
• Windows Active Directory accounts
• Windows NT Domain
• VAX

Passwords will need to meet the criteria listed below, and you will need to change your password every ninety days. Similar to our telephone voicemail, you can rotate between two secure passwords. Here are some of the new requirements.

• The minimum length of your password must be eight characters.
• The password must contain at least one letter.
• The password must contain at least one number.
• The password must contain at least one special character.
• The password must not contain your username, first or last name, or repeating characters.
  • Example, this is not a valid username/password combination:
    • Username: mpoppins
    • Password: 1mpoppins* or mpoppins.2005
• We suggest that you pick a combination that is significant to you; however, it should be something that would be difficult to guess by others or automated password hacking programs. One good example uses the first letter of each word in a phrase and then add numbers to the end of the sequence. Substitute a special character for one of the letters as well.
  • Common substitutions are:
    • @ for A's
  • ! for I's
  • 1 for I's
  • 3 for E's
  • $ for S's
• Examples:
  • “USD is a great University for students” amounts to U!AGU4S2.
  • "usdrules" amounts to usdru!3s or usdrul3$
• Passwords are case-sensitive.
• Do not leave your computer on overnight or over the weekend. This provides ample opportunity for someone to access your system.

Never write down your password! Even a good password can be easily compromised if it is visible to others. If you have any questions, please contact the ITS Tech Support Center via e-mail or telephone (x7900).