Modeling Lab: Changing Passwords

Once you become a registered user of the lab and issued an account, you are given a password that will be required whenever you log onto a workstation or map a new file system. You can change that password at any time. Before doing so, determine what you want the password to be, ensure that it is secure and that you will be able to remember it.

Creating Passwords

Poorly constructed passwords can be the weakest link in computer security. Effective passwords are critical because password-cracking tools continue to improve, the computers used to crack passwords are more powerful, and people are putting more time and effort into cracking passwords. Password-cracking software uses a variety of approaches, including intelligent guessing, dictionary attacks, and automation that tries every possible combination of characters. Given enough time, the automated method can crack any password, but more effective passwords will last months before breaking.

For a password to be effective and difficult to crack it should:

• Be at least seven characters long.
• Contain characters from each of the following three groups:
  1. Letters (Upper and lowercase, such as a, b, c,..., A, B, C...)
  2. Numerals (0, 1, 2, 3, 4 ,...)
  3. Symbols (Characters not defined as letters or numerals such as ~ ! @ # $ % ^ & * ...)
• Have at least one symbol character in the second through sixth positions.
• Be significantly different from prior passwords.
• Not contain you name or user name.
• Not be a dictionary word, name, birth date, address, or slang.

Changing Passwords On PC Workstations

• Login on a workstation in the Modeling Lab.
• Press Ctrl/Alt/Delete.
• Select "Change Password".
• Type in the original password.
• Type in the new password and confirm by typing it in a second time.
• Select "Confirm" and your local account password will be changed. This change will take effect immediately.