Passwords are a way of securing access to computers, accounts, or even door access by ensuring that the person requesting access knows a specific string of characters.

Password Recommendations & Tips

It is mandatory that every account at the university have a strong password. Many of our systems enforce strong passwords as well as password expiry. Most Brock systems enforce the following password rules:

• Must contain at least 3 different types of characters:
  • uppercase (e.g., A B C D).
  • lowercase (e.g., a b c d).
  • numbers (e.g., 1 2 3 4).
  • special characters/symbols (e.g., ! @ #).
• Must not contain reserved/special characters (e.g., backslash ‘\’) or spaces.
• Must not be based on your first name, middle name, last name, email address, or login ID.
• Must be between 10 to 30 characters in length.
• Cannot be recently used or similar to a previous password (no password rotation).

Tips:

• Mix characters (e.g., TiD23#4ad34$3r).
• Replace letters with symbols (e.g.,”T3nnis$tar”).
• Use a password phrase such as:
  • the first letters of words in easily remembered phrases (e.g., “The cow jumps over the Brock Tower!” becomes “TcjotBT!”).
  • easily remembered phrases without spaces (e.g., “MydogFluffyis#1!”).
• Do not write down your passwords (write down a tip or clue instead).
• Do not share your passwords.
• Change your passwords every few months.

Password Management Service

KeePass is a free open source password manager, which helps you to manage your passwords in a secure way. Multiple passwords can be stored in one database, which is locked with one master key or a key file. Rather than remembering all of your passwords, only the master password or key file is needed to unlock the whole database. The databases are encrypted using the best and most secure encryption algorithms.