SST IT Security Awareness

Password Policies

SST password policy includes:

• never share a computer account or let someone else use your account.
• never tell a password to anyone
• never write down a password
• never communicate a password by telephone, e-mail or instant messaging
• being careful to log off before leaving a computer unattended
• changing passwords whenever there is suspicion they may have been compromised
• Passwords must not be a word found in the dictionary (in any language), whether spelled forwards or backwards, or a word preceded or followed by a digit (e.g., secret1, 1secret)
• Be aware that automatic "password cracker" programs check for common symbol substitutions in words, such as "0" for "o" and "$" for "s". Simply substituting common symbols for letters in a dictionary word, e.g. "Pa$$w0rd" instead of "Password," might result in a guessable password even though it technically meets the above requirements.