Accounts: Choosing a Secure Password

Guidelines and suggestions for devising a secure password

(Please note that CAE's password rules changed to use the latest NIST standard in mid-April 2018)

CAE's password rules consist of the following:

Cannot have been previously used by the account
Length must be between 8 and 64 characters
Cannot match anything in your account information, such as the login name, initials, date of birth, or UW ID number.
Cannot be on the known compromised list (many millions of entries)
Cannot be based on a dictionary word
Cannot be a common keyboard pattern

How to Make a Good Password:

The new rules primarily emphasize password length, while using phrases that will be easy for YOU to remember (and not others)

Example of a strong password:

bluebirdofhappiness

The passwords for Windows and Linux operating systems are all the same. Case does matter, so remember what is upper case and what's lower.

To help protect the security of your account, please remember the following:

Do not write your password down.
Do not tell anyone your password. The administrator of a computer system NEVER needs to know anyone else's password.
Do not use the same password elsewhere. If your password is somehow disclosed at another site or ours, it would make it very easy for a hacker to cause damage at multiple sites.
Do not keep it in any files.
Do not send it via email.

If you have questions or need help, please feel free contact the CAE HelpDesk: