Body
Issue/Question
- What are the complexity requirements for a MyMassasoit password?
- What should I do to make sure my password is secure?
Resolution
Massasoit's Requirements
To protect college information resources, Massasoit users are required to change their MyMassasoit password every 365 days.
Passwords must adhere to the following requirements:
- It is case-sensitive.
- It must not match a previously used password.
- It must contain at least 8 characters. (12 or more is recommended)
- It cannot contain your name.
Creating a Secure Password
There is a tendency to want to use loved one's names, birthdays and anniversaries but "easy to remember" can also be "easy to guess." In a world where hackers use sophisticated software to crack passwords, an easy password is an open invitation. The challenge is to create something that is memorable for you but tough for others to decipher.
A secure password doesn't necessarily need to be a jumble of upper- and lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols which is impossible to remember. Research into password strength and complexity has shown that passphrases, or a simply a password comprised of multiple words, can be as strong or stronger than what we typically think of when we think of traditionally strong passwords. A solid go-to for creating a secure password is to use three or four words which are unrelated to each other or your own personal information.
For your security, passwords should never be shared, written down, or e-mailed to others. ITS will never ask for your password!