New Password Policy at Kean University
In our digital age, the importance of secure passwords cannot be overstated. Kean University recognizes the critical need for robust password protection to safeguard sensitive information and uphold the security and integrity of its systems. Kean University's new password policy aims to enhance security across all user accounts. This policy mandates that all passwords adhere to strict complexity requirements and prohibits their reuse for any other login credentials, whether business-related or personal.
Complexity Requirements:
- Character Composition: Passwords must include uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.
- Length: Passwords must be at least 10 characters long.
- Exclusion of Personal Information: Passwords must not contain any part of your name, the University’s name, or easily guessed words related to personal information such as names of family members, pets, or birthdates.
- Prohibition on Reuse: Passwords must not be reused across different accounts.
Creating a Secure Password: Tips and Best Practices
Add Variety
- Include Numbers, Symbols, Capital, and Lower-Case Letters: The more you combine letters, numbers, and symbols, the more potent your password becomes making it harder for a brute-force attack to crack it.
- Add Emoticons: While some websites limit the types of symbols you can use, most allow a wide range. Make your symbols memorable by turning them into smiley faces to instantly boost your password strength.
Make It Unique
- Don't use Personal Information: Be sure your passwords do not contain any personal information that can be publically accessible such as your birth date, pet's name, car model, phone number, or street name and address.
- Don't use Dictionary Words: Any word on its own is bad. Any combination of a few words, especially if they grammatically go together isn't great either. For example "mouse" is a terrible password. "small brown mouse" is also very bad.
- Avoid Common Substitutions: Password crackers are familiar with the usual substitutions. "M0use" isn't strong just because the o was replaced with a 0.
How to Remember a Strong Password
The secret to creating a hard-to-crack password that’s unique and easy to remember is to focus on making it memorable and making it hard to guess. By learning a few simple skills, you can easily create a strong and memorable password with minimal effort. Plus, creating them can be fun - and your payoff in increased safety is huge.
Use a phrase and incorporate shortcuts or acronyms
Use phrases that mean something to you and shorten them by using shortcuts; or use the first digit in each word to create an acronym and add numbers and symbols throughout.
- Shortcut Example: 2BorNot2B_ThatisThe? (To be or not to be, that is the question-Shakespeare)
- Acronym Example: I go bowling every Friday night with 8 friends becomes 1gbeFnw8f:)
By adhering to this new policy, we can protect sensitive data and maintain a secure digital environment for all Kean University community members.
Please visit these articles for information on properly managing your Kean University Account.
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Change your password and or challenge questions.
Use the "Change your password and/or challenge question" link if you know your account credentials and want to change your password or add/modify your secondary email address. -
Forgot your password.
If you do not know or have forgotten your password, use the "Forgot your password" link. You can reset it here using your secondary email address.