Strong Passwords

Due to the current requirements of the Washington State Department of Information Services, all user accounts need to be protected by the use of a strong password.

To be considered strong, a password must:

1. Be a minimum of eight characters long.
2. Contain characters from each of the following groups:

   Group	Examples
   Letters (uppercase AND lowercase)	A, B, C…  AND   a, b, c…
   Numerals	0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
   Special Characters (all characters not defined as letters or numerals)	` ~ ! @ # $ % ^ & _ + - = { } | [ ] : “ ; ‘ < > ? , .

3. Be significantly different from previously used passwords.
4. NOT contain the user’s name or any part of their full name.
5. NOT contain personal identifiers such as birthdays, social security numbers, or pet’s names.
6. NOT be a common word found in the dictionary, even if it is spelled backwards.

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Examples of Strong Passwords

Strong passwords should be difficult for someone else to guess but still be easy enough for the user to remember. A good way to select a strong password is to base it on an easily remembered phrase. A password can then be formed by taking the first letter of each word in the phrase and combining them with numbers or characters (including punctuation and/or spaces).

A password created in some way from a phrase from a movie, a quote, or a line from a song or nursery rhyme can be a good strategy for remembering.

Here are some examples of phrases and passwords:
(please do not use these examples!)

Phrase:	I love to drive my 1969 Mustang!
Password:	Iltdm69M!
Phrase:	I think, therefore I am
Password:	{It,t4Ia}
Phrase:	To be or not to be, that is the question
Password:	2b0ntb,T1tq
Phrase:	Password Enforcer
Password:	-=Pw N4cR=-

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Changing Your Network Password On-campus

Step	Action
1	Hold the Ctrl and Alt keys at the same time, press the Delete key
2	Click the Change Password… button
3	The Change Password dialog box will appear
4	The Log on to: box should show CASCADIA. If not, click the drop down arrow to select it.
5	Type your current password in the Old Password: box
6	Type your new password in the New Password: box. Your new password should conform to the Cascadia Network Account Guidelines
7	Enter your new password again to confirm it
8	Click the OK button to accept your entries
9	Click OK

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Changing Your Network Password Off-campus

Step	Action
1	Login to https://owa.cascadia.edu
2	Click on the Options button in the lower left corner of the screen
3	Scroll down the page until you come to the "Password" section
4	Click the Change Password button
5	The Internet Service Manager window will appear
6	Type "cascadia" in the Domain: box.
7	Type your current password in the Old Password: box
8	Type your new password in the New Password: box. NOTE: Your new password should conform to the Cascadia Network Account Guidelines
9	Enter your new password again to confirm it
10	Click the OK button to accept your entries

See also: on Zócalo How To Change Your Password from off-campus for screenshots and more detailed instructions.

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