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Password rules and requirements
As more iCAN information - including additional personal information - becomes available to you online, the need to protect passwords becomes even more critical. You have a personal interest in keeping your identifying and financial information private.
Password rules and requirements
The following criteria have been established for iCAN passwords. Select a password that meets the following password security rules:
- has at least 8 characters
- has both upper and lower case characters
- has at least one number
- does not contain any non-printing characters (spaces, carriage-returns, tabs, line-feeds)
- is not based upon a single dictionary word
- has at least one keyboard symbol including:
~`!@#$%^&*()_+={}[]|\:;"<>',.?/
The easiest way to create a new password
If you want to choose a password that is both safe and easy to remember, take words and numbers you find easy to remember and combine them, adding a special symbol and mixing upper-case and lower-case letters. Choose parts of words and numbers that someone who knows you would not be able to guess that you might use. (Obviously, don't use any of the following passwords for your own account, they are provided here as examples.)
- Technique One: An easy way to create a new password is to use the first characters of a phrase (similar to an acronym) and intersperse it with upper- and lower-case letters, numbers, and keyboard symbols. For example the phrase: "my dog Mr. Spike has 3 legs" can be translated to a password of "mdM.Sh3l" which would match all the criteria for a secure password as defined above. Or, the phrase "I am one happy Agent of iCAN system" could become the password "Im1Hs@PU".
- Technique Two: Another easy way to create a new password is to use a memorable phrase, title of a song or book, or quote, and intersperse it with random numbers and keyboard symbols. As password rules now require a number AND a keyboard symbol, strong passwords can now be created using this technique. This method of password selection is also very effective, as a password longer than 8 characters greatly enhances its security. For instance, "oneFish,2Fish" would be an example of a long password string that would be easy for you to remember yet difficult for hackers to crack. Why you ought not choose a password that's based on information other people might know about you You might think a password based on your phone number or license plate might be good because it's not in the dictionary. But if someone has your name (which is easy to get at Princeton if the person has your netID), it's easy for someone to find your phone number or your license plate number.
- Never make your password trivial
- Never make your password repetitive
- Never make your password sequential (e.g., "abcdefgh123" or "12345678abc"),
- Never base your password on your Agent or Contract ID
- Never use the name of a family member, nickname, pet name, personal information (e.g., social security number, birth date) or word associated with your interests as your password
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