Password tips and advice
Your username and password are the keys to your University computer account, which should only be used by the person it was issued to. It is important that:
- your password is secret and safe - don't tell anyone and don't write it down anywhere
- your password is strong - don't let it be easily guessed
- your password is soley for university systems - don't share it with other accounts
Keeping your password secret
If you have accidentally told someone your password or think someone may have it - change your password immediately using the web based password changer
Keeping your password strong
Strong passwords are good passwords because they are difficult to guess. The password changer insists on strong passwords to help protect you, it ensures they are long and sufficiently complex. your password must be:
- At least eight characters long
- Have digits or punctuation as well as letters
- Have both uppercase and lowercase letters
- Not solely made up of:
- Anybody's name
- Any information relating to you or anybody else (birthday, NI number, car registration, star sign, etc.)
- A word found in a dictionary in any language
- Any of these spelt backwards
- Any of these followed or prepended by a single digit
- Do not contain these characters : £ | # " ' `
There are many strategies to pick a password, use a short sentence
| What to do | Example |
| Start with a short sentence thats special to you | I want a strong password |
| Remove the spaces between the words | Iwantastrongpassword |
| Add odd capitals and mis-spell or use shorthand | IwntAstrONGpasswd |
| Add numbers that are meaningful but not your birthday | IwntAstrONGpasswd28 |
or you can start with a longer sentence or phrase
| What to do | Example |
| Start with a long sentence thats special to you | All I want for Christmas is a really strong password |
| Remove the spaces between the words | AIwfCiarsp |
| Add special characters or numbers | AIwfCiarsp25? |