Password Policy

Untitled Document

Password Requirements

All computers are now subject to regular attempts to gain unauthorized access, and the first line of defense is strong passwords.

  • Never give your SSCC password to anyone, even SSCC staff.
  • Never use your SSCC password for any other account or site. The only exception is that you may use your UW NetID password as your SSCC password if you so desire.

All passwords must comply with the University's Baseline Password Standard, which includes the following:

Passwords chosen must

  • be a minimum of eight (8) characters in length [14 characters for Silo users]
  • be memorized; if a password is written down it must be secure
  • contain at least one (1) character from three (3) of the following categories:
    • Uppercase letter (A-Z)
    • Lowercase letter (a-z)
    • Digit (0-9)
    • Special character (~`!@#$%^&*()+=_-{}[]\|:;”’?/<>,.)
  • be private

Passwords chosen must not

  • contain a common proper name, login ID, email address, initials, first, middle or last name
  • be the same as your previous three passwords

Passwords also should not consist of a single word, or a single word followed by a number. Consider using a password which combines multiple words, or "passphrase."