Suggestions for Simplifying Your Password Collection

Yes, there are a lot of passwords to keep track of. Below are two suggestions for managing them: (1) Create only two passwords, and use them for multiple services, or (2) use a secure software tool, such as PasswordVault, to store your passwords.

Suggestion #1: Create only two passwords

Although the passwords for various services are set independently, you can set some of them to be the same.

For security reasons, we recommend creating two passwords:

• Primary password: Use one password for your NetID and EnterpriseID.
• Service password: Use another password for less critical services such as Express Email, Active Directory, and other services.

Note that each service has its own rules for what makes an acceptable password. For example, a password that is acceptable as a NetID password may not be acceptable as an EnterpriseID password.

However, below we have provided combined lists of rules; if your password conforms to all these rules, then it will work for all the services listed. (For tips on how to create good passwords that you can remember, see the Tips for Creating Good Passwords page.)

Primary password rules

The Primary Password MUST

• be 8 to 12 characters long.
• contain at least one UPPERCASE letter.
• contain at least one LOWERCASE letter.
• contain at least one numeric DIGIT (0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9).

The Primary Password CANNOT

• contain three or more consecutive characters of your NetID or EnterpriseID.
• contain any dictionary word greater than or equal to five characters.
• contain forward or reverse alphabetic sequences of three or more letters or numbers.

A password that meets the above criteria can be used as both a NetID password and an EnterpriseID password.

Service password rules

The rules for the Service Password are the same as those for the Primary Password, above, with one exception:

The Service Password MUST

• be 8 characters long.

A password that meets these criteria can be used for all other CITES services.

NOTE: There are more rules for acceptable passwords; the ones presented above are generally the most helpful. To see the complete list of requirements, consult the Requirements for Acceptable Passwords page.

You can change many of your passwords at the Password Home Page. For more complete information about where to change and use various passwords, consult the CITES Password Quick Help Guide on the Managing Your Accounts and Passwords page.

Suggestion #2: Use PasswordVault

PasswordVault is a program that securely stores all your passwords on your desktop computer. No matter how many passwords you store, you need to remember only your master password to access all of them.

PasswordVault also comes with a companion program, PasswordVault2Go, which stores your passwords on a portable media drive (such as a USB flash drive) that you can carry from computer to computer.

PasswordVault and PasswordVault2Go can be downloaded from the Software WebStore at no cost to University faculty, staff, and students.

For more information about PasswordVault, go to the PasswordVault page.