Passwords

These are some helpful best practices on using passwords

Passwords for any system at York College must follow the following syntax:

• Your password must be at least 8 characters long.
• It must contain at least one uppercase letter.
• It must contain at least one numeric character OR one special character ($, #, @, !, &).
• It can not be one of your 4 previous passwords.

Helpful hints

Here are some helpful hints to guide you on creating a secure password:

• Never use the password you’ve picked for your York email or Network account at any online site: This is a mandatory policy for all CUNY students. If you do, and an e-commerce site you are registered at gets hacked, there’s a good chance someone will be reading your e-mail soon. 
• Do not choose passwords based upon details that may not be as confidential as you’d expect, such as your birth date, your Social Security or phone number, or the names of family members or places you have visited.
• Do not use words found in a dictionary. Hackers use online tools that often come with dictionary lists that will try thousands of common names and passwords.
• Avoid using simple adjacent keyboard combinations: For example, “qwerty” and “asdzxc” and “123456” are trivial to crack.
• Avoid using the same password at multiple Web sites.